Valentine Countdown
by WillowWitch
Summary: When the campers are brought back to Playa Des Losers for an ACTUAL reunion on Valentine's Day week, Cody tries to impress Noah... with the help of the other guy campers! Oh boy, there will be TROUBLE AHEAD! NxC
1. Taking Owen's Advice

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

  
"Welcome, readers! Glad you could make it!"

The one who'd said this was Chris Maclean, who had been standing on the dock that lead to the infamous Playa Des Losers. He smiled brightly for the cameras before continuing.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm standing here on the dock of Playa Des Losers when the show has already ended and everyone has gone home! Well, the producers think it'd be a little nice if we had a reunion with all 22 contestants! Of course, not JUST a reunion!"

He paused, snickering.

"We all thought it'd be good for the viewers to see how everyone is after Total Drama Island, but at a time that would SURELY bring some good ratings! And when would THAT be!? Well… On the week, of VALENTINE'S DAY!"

He laughed out loud as he noticed a cruise ship coming in from the horizon. He immediately turned back to the camera and smiled evilly again.

"See, everyone knows that Valentine's Day is when most people's hearts get broken! And we'll be looking forward to some of them as we record everything that happens in this one week! Look forward to it, cuz here come the campers now!"

As he said this, all 22 contestants from Total Drama Island stepped out of the boat and gathered around Chris, watching him suspiciously. Of course they were all stumped that the sadistic host was inviting them all back for a reunion, but what stumped them most was that it was actually at a place they didn't mind being in, which was Playa Des Losers. Mainly Heather, Gwen, Eva, and Duncan glared at the host.

"Welcome back, campers! I'll just be calling you that for old time's sake!" said Chris, completely ignoring the dirty looks the rest of them had been giving him. "I hope you all enjoyed the holidays, cuz you'll be taking a week off of school to be here- well, jail for a certain few!"

While some of the campers cheered about this, mainly Geoff, Owen, and Duncan cheered about this, while Gwen, Noah, and Beth had frowned. Beth raised her hand, which Chris had gestured her to speak.

"But Chris! We'll have to make up all the work we miss!" she noted, able to speak clearly without her braces. The ones who had been cheering immediately frowned and sulked.

"I know, but I've already graduated so I really don't care!" he said, once again getting dirty looks. "Hey, come on! You guys are here for VALENTINE'S Day! You should all be happy that MOST of you get to be near each other on such a loving holiday"

When he said this, he looked at Gwen, Trent, Geoff, Bridgette, Duncan, and Courtney, who sighed and shook their heads or rolled their eyes. Chris snickered.

"And who knows? There may also be MORE couples blossoming from this reunion! Just enjoy the week! No challenges whatsoever! All you need to do is relax and kick back and enjoy Valentine's Day! You even get to speak your mind through a confession cam in the janitor closet on the lobby floor" he said, and while some of them still looked suspicious, Owen had cheered.

"That is TOTALLY AWESOME, Chris!" shouted Owen, grabbing his bags. "I call a room on the TOP FLOOR!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! HOLD IT!"

The shriek had come from the one that NO ONE really wanted to come to the reunion. Heather, who had still been glaring daggers at Chris, and had grown a little hair back (Enough to be mistaken for a guy), was still not liking where this whole reunion thing was going.

"What? No catch? Nothing? I don't think so! Something here stinks!" she shouted, stomping her foot.

"Yeah, for once, I agree with the stuck-up, daddy's girl!" agreed LeShawna, who ignored the glare Heather gave her in response to the insult. Gwen had nodded while Ezekiel tapped his chin.

"It IS kinda suspicious, eh!" he said.

"Hey, the viewers wanted to see you guys again! … and I don't know why…" Chris replied, muttering the last part. "So the producers are just giving them what they wanted!"

"So we're just part of ANOTHER embarrassing segment for your station!?" asked Courtney angrily.

"And we're not even gonna be able to win MONEY?!" asked Eva, even angrier.

Chris started panicking on the inside. The campers weren't stupid after all, and they continued to stare at him and question him angrily until they heard another familiar voice walking down the stairs from the five-star resort.

"MAGGOTS! GET YO BUTTS UP HERE AND EAT, FOOLS!"

Yup, who could forget the voice of the psychotic chef that tortured them with food that looked like it came from a dumpster? Chef walked down the steps and pointed towards the stairs, telling everyone to get up there. Still a little suspicious, the 22 teens had shrugged and walked up the steps, not really wanting to have to deal with Chef's usual ticked off attitude. Chris sighed and turned towards the darker, bulkier guy.

"Thanks, man! I almost gave it away, there!" said Chris, waving to the departing cruise ship.

"Whatever, I just do my job" he replied huffily.

"Well, readers! You've seen them! Now let's check on them as they unpack!" said Chris.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Heather**: "Okay, I don't care WHAT he says! I DON'T have to STAY here! I'll be calling my parents and DEMAND them to bring me home IMMEDIATELY!!… After I find a good room!"

**Owen**: "It's so AWESOME to be BACK here! The holidays were really cold and all, but it's GREAT to be here again in the sun and see everyone again! Especially _Izzy_…"

**Geoff**: "Dude, I was so psyched when I got my letter saying I'd be brought back for a reunion here! PAR-TAY, DUDES!!… I'm a little disappointed that we can't win any money, but it's all GOOD!!"

* * *

  
"Lindsay, you wanna be my roommate?" asked Beth, and Lindsay gasped.

"Really? That'd be, like, SOO awesome! Sure!" said Lindsay, and they both ran into the room on the top floor that was closest to them, leaving Owen, Gwen, Trent, LeShawna, and Heather outside.

"Well, that means, like, there's only three rooms on this floor left!" noted LeShawna.

"I call this room!" shouted Heather, running into the one closest to her. "There's a good view of the sky from here! So it's MINE!"

With that, she slammed the door on all of them, not noticing the unimpressed look on LeShawna and Gwen's faces while Owen and Trent just shrugged.

"At least we'll know who's howling on a full moon" said Gwen, earning snickers from the others.

"I HEARD THAT!" shouted Heather from her door.

"Girl, you can be MY roommate!" said LeShawna, patting the goth girls' shoulder.

"Sure, but let's go to the floor below. I don't want to be ANYWHERE near the banshee" replied Gwen, following LeShawna towards the elevator, ignoring Heather's screams of offense. Trent had followed quietly while Owen went into another room on the top floor.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Gwen**: "I don't care if it's been four to five months since we've been together. Heather hasn't changed, therefore my hate towards her hasn't, either!"

* * *

  
"Katie and I are DEFINITELY roommates!" said Sadie, who had been on the floor below, holding her bags.

"Aw, Sadie! I'll DEFINITELY be your roommate!" replied Katie, and the two squealed as they ran into their room. Tyler, DJ, Izzy, and Eva had also been on this floor, covering their ears from the high pitched squeal. Well, everyone except Izzy…

"My room will be here. DON'T bother me unless you're my roommate" said Eva, who walked into her room and slammed the door.

"I feel sorry for whoever's stuck with her, man" whispered DJ, making sure Eva had not been around.

"Well, maybe she'll be the one without a roommate" replied Tyler.

However, to their dismay, Izzy had knocked on her door, earning shocked and frightened looks from the two as Eva opened her door with an angry look that faded when she saw the insane red-head.

"Hey, Eva! Can I be your roommate!?" asked Izzy excitedly. Eva frowned, but shrugged and let the red-head in as they had been friends (to a degree) while they were on the island. Tyler and DJ looked at each with confused looks. With this, the elevator doors had opened to reveal Gwen, LeShawna, and Trent with their bags. They took notice of the other two boys, and the two leftover rooms that were still open and walked over to them.

"Hey, are you guys taking one of these rooms?" asked Gwen.

"Um, I guess. Wanna be roommates, DJ?" asked Tyler.

"That's cool! As long as you don't mind Bunny coming along" DJ answered, holding out his little furry friend from Camp Wawanakwa.

"That's cool with me, dude!" said Tyler, grabbing his bags and walking into the room, followed by DJ. By now, only one room had been left, and the girls turned to Trent.

"Sorry, Trent. There's still a room upstairs if you want" said LeShawna.

"Yeah, sure, why not? Gwen can visit me later, anyway" said Trent, smiling at his girlfriend before walking back into the elevator to head upstairs. She grinned at him before following LeShawna into the room.

* * *

  
"Hey, Bridge! Wanna be roomies?"

"Geoff, we're supposed to stay with our own gender. I'm rooming with Courtney" replied Bridgette, pecking her boyfriend on the lips and waving to him before following Courtney into their room.

"Aw, man! This stinks!" complained Geoff, and Duncan walked over to him.

"Dude, stop being a wuss! It's not like her elimination!" said Duncan, walking into another room on their floor. Geoff beamed.

"Hey, how about I room with you, dude?"

"Are you gonna sing your sorrow to Bridgette again?" asked Duncan, glaring at the laid back cowboy.

"Nah, dude. Unless you want me to"

"Don't, and you've got a roommate"

With that, Geoff grabbed his bag and followed the juvenile delinquent. The only ones without rooms now were Ezekiel, Harold, Noah, Cody, and Justin. Harold turned towards Noah, who'd been reading a book as usual and cleared his throat.

"Hey, Noah, wanna be my roommate?" he asked.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: "Um, yeah, as much as I knew I'd be desperate for a roommate, I was NOT gonna room with Harold. He's intelligent enough, but… revolting"

* * *

  
While Noah knew Harold was a nice and flexible person (mainly that he could stand Noah), he couldn't help but make a face as he'd seen the episode of Total Drama Island where Duncan, Geoff, and DJ had constantly picked on the boy for his atrocious habit of leaving his underwear on the ground. He coughed and grabbed his bags, walking to the elevator.

"Um… Actually, I was going to room with, uh…" he paused, looking around to view the candidates.

Justin was definitely out. He still hated his polar opposite ever since the last episode of Total Drama Island and would NEVER be able to tolerate him as a roommate. He looked around more to see Ezekiel. While he didn't mind the home schooled boy, he couldn't stand his constant ending of sentences with 'eh'. Then there was Cody…

Oh, boy… Cody…

While Noah had been comfortable and more tolerant with Cody before, he couldn't deny that life was pretty awkward around the boy ever since the Awake-A-Thon. He couldn't even read the e-mails that the tech-geek had sent him when they returned home for the holidays… It was nice that the boy seemed okay with the accidental moment, but Noah couldn't trust himself to room with him and possibly have another 'accident'.

He thought harder. Who couldn't have had a roommate, yet? He could only think of Trent, DJ, and Owen… However, Tyler had not been on this floor, where majority of the guys were right now, so he assumed that he and DJ roomed together considering they were on the same team… He absolutely COULDN'T imagine sleeping in the same room as the ticking time-bomb of obnoxious fumes… Therefore, he had only one option…

"I'm rooming with Trent"

With this said, the rest of them stared at him unbelievably. They didn't know he even TALKED with the cool musician, or that the cool musician had even been able to tolerate the lazy know-it-all since the dodge ball competition…Noah rolled his eyes at their disbelieving looks and walked towards the elevator, not noticing Cody's disheartened look…

Suddenly, Cody thought of something, and followed the know-it-all into the elevator, earning a raised eyebrow and questionable look, to which he grinned at.

"I'm rooming with Owen" he said.

"Good luck with that" Noah replied, rolling his eyes again as the doors closed.

Harold sighed, as he had no idea who he could've roomed with now when he noticed Justin walking into a room alone, locking the door behind him as if to say he wouldn't allow anyone else in there. Oddly enough, Ezekiel walked over to him and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, wanna be roommates?" asked Ezekiel, and Harold beamed.

"Definitely!" he replied, following Ezekiel into their room.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Cody**: "I was always hoping Noah and I could be friends again, even after the Awake-A-Thon incident… I mean, I even grew interested in him when I learned I was actually bi when I got back from the show! But he's been giving me some mixed signals, lately… Is that a bad thing?"

* * *

  
Noah and Cody rode the elevator in silence… They hadn't exactly been in contact since the show ended, but that was mainly Noah's fault when not replying to Cody's e-mails (Which he wouldn't have had to do if Izzy hadn't given Cody his e-mail to begin with). Noah struggled to keep his gaze forward and away from Cody, while the other boy had been TRYING to get the know-it-all's attention to begin with.

However, they had finally reached the top floor, where they were told by Owen and Trent themselves that that was where they'd be. Finally reaching it, the two had walked out and noticed a loud cheering coming from a room nearby. Anyone who had been on the show would've known that it was Owen, and that was the room Cody headed for while Noah listened for some music to be playing.

"So… how was your holidays, Noah?" asked Cody.

The other boy had looked at him with a hesitant expression while the boy grinned. Noah didn't really know what to say, but when he was about to try, they heard a door open and Owen step out of it. He took notice of the two and waved happily.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha doing?" asked Owen.

"Cody was going to ask for your cooperation in the hope of sharing your current residence" Noah replied, hoping to get Cody out of his sight as soon as possible, but earning a blank look from the taller, fatter boy.

"…Hah…?" he asked, and Noah mentally slapped his forehead.

"I was wondering if I could be your roommate" said Cody, translating for Noah.

"Oh, sure! That'd be AWESOME!" said Owen, leading Cody into their new room while Cody looked back at Noah and waved, to which Noah didn't reply. He didn't notice Cody's disappointed frown.

Now that he'd been alone in the hallway, Noah finally heard some guitar strings from a door in the hallway, and walked over to it, knocking lightly.

"Come in" was heard from the other side, and Noah placed his bags down and walked in to see Trent on one of the beds with his trusty guitar. He took notice of the know-it-all and frowned slightly.

"I need a roommate, and everyone but Justin's got one…" he said.

This didn't change Trent's facial expression one bit. Noah was aware that many of the contestants had not exactly been fond of the dark-skinned bookworm, but he could at least try with Trent, couldn't he?

"Look, I know I was… overbearing during that challenge, but… even if I HAD joined in, you guys would've lost anyway" he argued, not really knowing how to convince Trent to let him stay.

Trent's facial expression changed to him being deep in thought, and he looked back at the boy again to speak something that had been on his mind.

"Well, you didn't have to mock our efforts, dude. I was pretty bad in that challenge, but at least I tried" said Trent, trying to get his point to Noah, which it kinda did.

Noah sighed and turned around, planning to just ask someone if they'd let him sleep on the ground in their room, knowing this wasn't going to get anywhere. However, Trent had stopped him before he could.

"Man, you can stay here, just… I just wanna know why you act the way you do" asked Trent, putting the guitar down for a sec. Noah looked at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not getting Trent's point.

"I mean like why are you always cynical and sarcastic? Doesn't it matter that people get offended by your words?" asked Trent, looking at the boy straight in the eye.

"I think that's my business and mine alone" replied Noah, preparing to walk out the door again.

"Suit yourself, man, but I heard Justin isn't exactly the easiest to persuade into sharing his room" said Trent, grabbing his guitar again to pick notes while Noah's face glowered darkly.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent**: "Yeah, I kinda did feel bad for tricking Noah like that… But seriously, dude's got some major issues to act the way he does! I just wanted to help"

* * *

  
"Really? EIGHT siblings!? Wow, dude… Never knew there WAS a family that big!" said Trent, amazed, impressed, and definitely shocked at this new information Noah had given him.

"Yeah, well, it's not exactly something to be proud of…" said Noah, leaning his head in his palm, sitting on his own bed while telling Trent all these things.

"No kidding… And they're all older… I don't have any brothers or sisters, dude, but I definitely knew friends who had some, and their older ones… weren't exactly the nicest people I've met…" said Trent, scratching his head at the memory.

"Whatever…" replied Noah, not believing he had actually told this to someone like Trent…

"Dude… Now I see why you're like this…" announced Trent.

"Yippee, give the boy a prize" replied Noah, rolling his eyes and mockingly waving his arms in the air.

Trent stared at him, offended at first, but remembered a friend of his who was constantly verbally abused by his older brother, and imagined what that, plus seven other brothers or sisters would be like… His face saddened… And he stood to pat Noah on the shoulder lightly and comfortingly, getting a confused and surprised face in return that turned into narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Yet, with Trent's encouraging smile, Noah's face softened and he looked away.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: _*Sigh in irritation*_ "He's cool, popular, and everything else I hate… But… Even I can admit that he's a good guy…" _*Eyes widen*_ "But that DOESN'T mean I won't still be sarcastic and sadistic! Because that's who I've grown to be and I've got no problems with it!"

**Trent**: "It was pretty weird being nice to him after what he said during the dodge ball challenge… But at least I can say that I might have earned a friend outta him for it, and he might have learned to loosen up a little! He's actually pretty cool deep down. Kinda reminds me of Cody, too"

* * *

  
"Hey Owen, dude?" Cody asked, pulling a pile of clothes out of his bag to put in his drawers.

"Yup?"

"You already know I'm bi, right?" asked Cody, grabbing more stuff.

"Yup"

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Owen**: "Come on! EVERYONE knew! He sent an e-mail to ALL of us telling us he found out he was bi! It was a shock, I mean, I couldn't eat for 30 minutes due to the shock!"

**Cody**: "Yeah, I told everyone, and I wasn't sure Owen got the e-mail, so I was just checking! Pretty much everyone knows about my orientation!… Well, with the possible exception of Lindsay, who I'm not sure even knows the meaning of bi"

* * *

  
"Well… I kinda need some help with something…" Cody admitted, placing his bathroom stuff on his nightstand for the time-being.

"You don't want me to help you practice kissing guys, do you?" asked Owen, face faltering at the thought.

"NO! No no no! That's not it! I just need some advice!" said Cody, waving his arms in front of himself.

On the inside, Owen sighed in relief. He wasn't gay, or bi, as much as everyone seemed to think so due to his constant falling for Justin's looks ability. However, he looked at the tech-geek excitedly as he'd never been asked for advice before.

"Um… How would you impress someone? Someone who's… kinda distant from you?" asked Cody.

"Are you trying for Gwen again? Dude, Trent's gonna KILL you!" Owen said. Cody's jaw dropped.

"**NO!!** I don't like Gwen anymore! Look, just answer my question please!!" said Cody, suddenly wondering why he had chosen Owen to be his roommate.

"Uh… Hmm… Well, I got Izzy to notice me by standing out from everyone else!" said Owen, punching his chest proudly. Cody stared at him blankly.

"Um… Okay, but… I'm not that tall…" replied Cody, scratching his head.

" I mean with ACTIONS, dude!" said Owen. "I do something that Izzy just CAN'T ignore!"

Cody stared at him in curiosity. Something IZZY couldn't ignore? It had to have been good if someone as mentally insane as IZZY couldn't ignore it.

"What do you do?" asked Cody.

"I _EAT_!!" answered Owen. "I eat large amounts of food in a way that Izzy can't help but NOTICE! And it works! She noticed me! How do you think I got to make out with her in the psycho killer challenge?"

Cody stared at him, tapping his chin in thought, but understood Owen's logic. Of COURSE! To get Noah's attention, he'd have to do something unordinary that was still cool! Owen's large food consumption was DEFINITELY something manly and cool to Cody, so if Cody did it, there was no WAY that Noah could ignore it like he'd been doing with all of Cody's other attempts to start a conversation!

That's what he'll do!

* * *

  
When the campers had all been settled in and unpacked, they had all gone outside with most of them in their swimsuits and were just chillin' and hanging out the way normal teenagers do when they've got free time. Trent and DJ, who had Bunny, were lying in the pool chairs like they had done when they had been here during Total Drama Island, except with Gwen being in the chair next to Trent. Lindsay and Beth were playing with a beach ball in the pool, Heather had been tanning, LeShawna had been preparing some pranks to pull on the oblivious queen bee, and Harold had been picking some flowers nearby to present to LeShawna later when he had the chance.

Katie and Sadie were doing their usual 'Justin Watch' as he dived off the diving board gracefully and landing in the water. Geoff and Bridgette had once again been making out in the hot tub, Eva had been lifting weights, and Tyler had been watching Lindsay, who invited him to play with her and Beth. Courtney and Duncan were sitting by the refreshment stand, Courtney being in her usual 'denial' mode while Duncan constantly flirted with her. Ezekiel was chatting a little with Noah (a little to his misfortune) about books on the side with their feet in the hot tub, and Izzy had been swimming underwater in the pool near the refreshment bar.

Owen and Cody had been by the buffet table, and Cody looked over to Noah and gulped as he grabbed a plate as big as Owen's and followed the big guy over to where Noah and Ezekiel were. They took a seat, not bothering to greet the two as Owen began eating, making sure Cody sat next to Noah. Cody looked hesitant for a minute, but Owen gave him a thumbs up, encouraging him. Taking a deep breath, Cody started eating the turkey wing, making sure to shove as much as he could down his throat in order to get Noah's attention.

However, Noah hadn't been cooperating very much, still chatting with Ezekiel. Cody looked at Owen, as if asking for help, to which he nodded. Owen immediately turned to his own plate and shoved his face in it, making growling sounds that nearly made Cody pee in his pants. However, this had worked, as both Ezekiel AND Noah turned to see the two of them, and Cody shoved his face into his food as well.

The two watched Cody and Owen eat and eat and eat… So shocked and grossed out that they couldn't even express it in their faces… Finally, Cody was starting to get full, and he looked at Owen to ask mentally if he should stop. Unfortunately, Owen had completely gone overboard in the act and was just eating like he normally did. With this, Cody had kept on eating, ignoring the sickening feeling he was getting in his stomach…

Noah was starting to look worried now. Cody was stuffing himself with food, and he hadn't even known why. For Owen, it was normal, but Cody… He couldn't consume HALF as much as Owen could! Hell if ANYONE could! He reached a hand out to try and stop Cody, but before his hand reached him, Cody couldn't take it anymore…

…And…

"**BLECH**!"

Noah shut his eyes in order to avoid the disgusting scene of Cody turning around to throw up on the ground behind him. Everyone had been looking at what the commotion was about now, and some of the even started laughing (Duncan and Eva, mainly). Once Cody had finished, he coughed a little and sat up, feeling groggy, and embarrassed…

…He puked in front of NOAH…

He fell unconscious, not noticing the worried expressions that were plastered on everyone's face. Including Noah's, although he'd still been disgusted at the sight of vomit…

Chris had walked out in front of the cameras that were taping this and looked at them, trying hard to keep his laughter inside of his gut… But being unsuccessful in doing so…

"Wow, man, THAT is some SERIOUS damage! Let's get poor Codester here to the Playa Des Losers infirmary to rest while Chef cleans this mess up!" he said.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: "…I'm speechless… That was seriously disgusting…"

**Owen**: "Man, I didn't know Cody couldn't eat that much! He hadn't even finished HALF of his plate!"

**Gwen**: "Okay, that was gross, but we were ALL wondering- WHAT in the WORLD was he doing?!"

**Heather**: "Why do I try to embarrass these losers? They do it well enough on their own!"

**Izzy**: "… That was so cool!"

* * *

  
"Okay, Cody's in the infirmary, Chef's cleaned up the mess, and everyone's just doing what they had been doing before!" started Chris. He snickered in Chef's direction before continuing.

"But they're also wondering, just as Gwen said, what Cody was trying to do! Heh heh, Chef and I know, and normally, the producers wouldn't be letting this kind of storyline be broadcasted on live TV, but I convinced them that the HUGE population of *OTAKUS will surely eat this stuff up, getting us some AWESOME ratings!"

He made sure no one was listening when he had said that, and was glad to see no one was paying attention to him in any way. He smiled back at the camera again before continuing.

"So, I bet you're all wondering- Will Cody get out of the infirmary alive? What will he do to try and impress Noah next!? Will Noah learn to be nicer to the other campers? And will Owen STOP EATING!?"

He intentionally shouted that loud enough to try get the attention of the huge boy who was STILL eating near the hot tub. Chris sighed as he failed, and turned back to the camera.

"Well, you'd better stay tuned, readers! Cuz the next chapter will hopefully be up soon! Find out what will happen next in the next EXCITING chapter…

…Of VALEN-…-TINE…COUNTDOWN!"

"Is THAT what you named this reunion!?" Chef asked.

"Quiet and cut the camera!" Chris replied through clenched teeth fixed in a smile.

…TBC…

* * *

  
*Otaku=Fan Girl (Usually for anime or such/Usually loves BoyxBoy/GirlxGirl)


	2. Taking Trent's Advice

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!" started Chris.

"Yesterday, the 22 contestants of Total Drama Island were brought back to Playa Des Losers, where I announced that we would be having a little reunion, on the week of VALENTINE'S DAY! Although I explained that there'd be no challenges, they all seemed to make one out of picking roommates! Let me tell ya, there were some UNEXPECTED pairs for roommates!"

He pulls a remote and points it to the camera, pressing a button that changes the screen to show a picture of Izzy and Eva, and Harold and Ezekiel.

"However, I must say that out of all the roommate pairings, the most shocking one of all HAD to be Trent and Noah, who actually seemed to get along with each other after Noah finally explained his background! Oh, and want to know something else? Cody's bisexual! And he's got the hots for NOAH! Shocking, I know, but in any case, with it being Valentine's Day week, he tries to impress Noah by taking his roommate, OWEN'S, advice!"

He immediately cracked up laughing after finishing that sentence as he pressed another button on the remote to show a picture of Cody and Owen with their food by the hot tub near Noah and Ezekiel.

"Let me tell ya, that was one HUGE mistake on Cody's part, as not only did he embarrass himself in front of his object of affections, but on INTERNATIONAL TV as well! Heh heh! Can't wait to see what happens now!"

He takes the scenes down with the remote and walks on the dock of Playa Des Losers, smiling and waving slightly to the cameras.

"Who will Cody ask for help from next? Will he push Noah far enough to start asking for help on AVOIDING him? And who will help me avoid the many lawsuits and angry e-mails we'll be receiving from yesterday's barf fest!? Stay tuned and find out on Day 1 of the week right now…!

…On VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!"

* * *

Trent walked into the infirmary room, looking around to find the man he was looking for. After a few seconds, he found Cody lying in a bed near the corner of the room, looking awfully green. With his facial expression revealing his sympathy, Trent walked over to the tech-geek and took a seat next to him, making sure Cody was conscious enough to speak.

"Hey, dude… You alright?" asked Trent, waving an arm in front of Cody's face.

"…Sure, man… The Codemeister's... cool…" he replied weakly, giving two thumbs up to Trent. Trent stared at him with uncertainty as Cody noticed something. "…Where's… Gwen…?"

"Um…" started Trent, scratching the back of his head. "She's in her room with LeShawna. Probably talking about yesterday…"

"Oh…" replied Cody, remembering the events of yesterday COMPLETELY well…

"But, dude, seriously…" started Trent, getting the boy's attention again. "We're ALL wondering what you were trying to do with Owen. That was seriously… Um… disturbing…"

"…Can you keep a secret?" asked Cody, and Trent nodded encouragingly. "Well… I was kinda trying to impress someone…"

Trent's eyes widened and he stood abruptly, pointing a finger in Cody's face with the darkest look that Cody's ever seen. Actually, Cody hadn't seen that look since their first trip to Boney Island…

"If you're trying to flirt with my girlfriend again, I'll seriously make you regret it!" threatened Trent.

"No!!! Why does everyone think I still like GWEN!?" Cody asked, panicking at Trent's sudden change in mood and recoiled at the pain he grew in his stomach from the sudden outburst. Trent's face softened again and he sat back down in the chair next to the bed again.

"So… Who DO you like, then…?" asked Trent, raising an eyebrow at Cody. Cody sighed.

"… You got my e-mail, right?" asked Cody.

Trent's eyes widened again and he stood from his chair, backing away slowly. Cody watched him in confusion, until Trent made his unknown thoughts clear to Cody.

"Whoa, dude, um… I'm already taken and-" started Trent, and Cody's jaw dropped just as it did with Owen.

"NO!! Not YOU!!" shouted Cody, falling back into his pillow in pain AGAIN.

"Oh" replied Trent, sitting back down again.

"Please… Can you just LISTEN, man?" asked Cody, looking sick.

"Sure, man. Sorry…" he replied. Cody eyed him cautiously, trying to choose his words carefully.

"So… How's your roommate?" he asked. Trent's eyes widened in realization.

"You… like Noah!?" he asked in shock. Cody grunted.

"Dang it, Trent, can't you just list-… Oh, wait, you were right that time…" said Cody.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent**: "I gotta admit that was a bit of a shock to me, seeing as it was NOAH! I may be okay with the dude, now, but Cody… I didn't think Cody forgave the guy THAT quickly!"

* * *

  
"Wow, man…" started Trent.

"So… What do I do?" asked Cody, but Trent shook his head quickly.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. What does your crush on Noah gotta do with Owen and the-" he started, but noticed Cody's sickening look as he was remembering the feeling of being stuffed and immediately drew back his words. He stared at Cody in hopes of getting an answer, and the boy sighed.

"Well… Owen's my roommate… So I asked him for help-" started Cody, and Trent groaned in reply before the adorable tech-geek could even finish.

"Aw, man, are you SERIOUS? OWEN?! The guy that pushed Izzy in front of him to protect himself from a PSYCHO KILLER!?" asked Trent, slapping himself on the forehead.

"…I messed up, didn't I?" asked Cody, and Trent nodded.

"Big time"

Cody looked downhearted at this, which was a look that Trent had seen before when he'd watched Cody get constantly turned down by Gwen… He patted his shoulder and smiled in encouragement. He didn't like seeing a friend of his look like this, especially one as cool as Cody.

"Look, I think you've still got a chance, dude!" he said.

Truthfully, Trent wasn't in any way sure that Cody still had a chance, but wanted to help him out. After all, Cody had helped him out with Gwen, so he felt he should return the favor. Cody had looked up at the musician with hope practically SPARKLING in his eyes.

"Really? What should I do?" asked Cody.

"Well, um…" started Trent. "You could… sing him a song!"

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent**: "Okay, DON'T give me that look! I wasn't sure if Noah was one to like music to begin with! I never tried to woo a GUY before! But I know girls like that kind of stuff, so… Why not?"

**Cody**: "Sing? Sure! I sing all the time! My mom and dad think I'm the best! …Even though they tell me to not sing too loud and stuff… but I think I could pull it off!"

* * *

  
"Okay, so… Do you wanna write your own song? Or something that's pretty popular already?" asked Trent, sitting on his bed in his and Noah's room.

Cody had only needed a few more hours of rest after his talk with Trent in the infirmary, and he felt as good as new, now! He was sitting with Trent in his room while Trent held his guitar, picking at the strings. Thinking for a moment, he remembered a detail that he'd kept to himself ever since returning home.

"Actually, there's a song that I think would be PERFECT for this situation!" said Cody.

Trent raised an eyebrow, but had not been able to say anything as the door to the room had opened, and Noah walked in, looking bored. He waved to Trent in acknowledgement, but noticed Cody and halted immediately. The two had stared at each other speechless, and Noah took a glance at his bed to find what he was looking for. His book. He slowly and hesitantly inched over to his bed, hoping Cody wouldn't get up and try to talk with him, grabbed his book and turned towards the door, walking out quickly and quietly.

As the door shut behind him, Cody sighed and looked discouraged again. Trent looked at him sympathetically, trying to think of a way to encourage the man. Now Trent was DEFINITELY unsure of whether or not this was going to work…

…But there was no harm in trying, right…?

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: "Okay… Maybe it WAS a little rude for me to avoid him like that… But you weren't there when he had puked out everything he had just been eating!"

**Cody**: "I'm starting to get the feeling Noah isn't all that interested in me… Maybe I'm going at it all wrong… Maybe I really DO need to sing to him!"

**Heather**: "I have absolutely NO clue as to what's going on, but Noah, Cody, and Trent have been hogging this janitor closet, so just to spite them, I'm gonna just SIT here for a while!"

_ONE HOUR LATER_

**Trent**: "FINALLY, Heather got out of here!… Anyway, we MIGHT need some help with this… I'll play guitar for the song Cody chose, but he also needs a drummer, so I'll ask Duncan… and then a keyboarder… Harold could help, I guess, cuz I just… don't trust Cody with a keyboard for some reason…"

* * *

  
When night had finally fallen on the first day of their week at the Playa Des Losers, everyone had been partying as music had been playing, everyone was dancing, and just plain having fun with each other. Izzy and Owen were dancing together (More like Izzy just trying to dance and trying to stay away from Owen), Eva had still been lifting weights, not caring for the party at all, Tyler and Lindsay were making out, as were Geoff and Bridgette, and Trent had been chatting with LeShawna and Gwen, as usual.

DJ had been playing with Bunny, Duncan was trying to dance with Courtney (while the other girl kept trying to get away from him), Beth and Ezekiel were talking about life at home, Katie and Sadie were dancing with Justin, Harold was trying to flirt with LeShawna (though the other girl hadn't been paying much attention to him), and Heather had been rolling her eyes and making various insults to everyone and everything, earning some SERIOUS karma.

Noah, however, had been sitting on a bench under a lamp post so he could read his book. He never really did care for parties, since no one really noticed him even going to begin with. However, a certain tech-geek, who'd been watching him the entire time, had been hiding behind the buffet table. After what seemed like an hour, this had become where Trent, Duncan, and Harold were setting everything up. He looked at Trent hesitantly, and he replied with two thumbs up.

"Dude, take a chill pill. It'll be okay" said Trent, trying his hardest to comfort his friend.

…However, he was also trying to convince himself it'd be okay as well…

Duncan, who normally wouldn't have done this kinda of thing, found it kind of cool to be playing drums for a band. It made him feel important. He looked at Harold and had to hold himself from laughing when the boy purposely messed up his hair and lost the glasses, thinking it'd be his way of trying to impress LeShawna. However, Cody was having an even harder time while Trent just shook his head at the both of them as he tuned his guitar.

"Okay, you guys! Chef's about ready to take a break, and that's when he said to take over. You all ready?" asked Trent, and Duncan gave a simple nod while Harold gave two thumbs up. However, Cody was still shaking in nervousness. Trent had sighed at this…

"I… I'm not feeling so good anymore…" admitted Cody, sweating now.

"Dude, just relax!" said Duncan, growing weary of the boy's hesitance. "I didn't learn to play this stupid song for nothing! Let's just do it already!"

Harold watched this and patted Cody's shoulder. He hadn't a single clue as to what's going on, but he'd always been someone who liked comforting others. After all, he had to comfort Bridgette a couple of times, which was mainly in the paintball deer hunt and the trust challenge…

"Man, you can't look any worse than me" he said in his raspy, congested voice.

He totally considered it a lie, but Trent and Duncan both nodded in agreement, and Harold himself couldn't tell whether or not they'd been lying or telling the truth. Cody watched him and nodded hesitantly, but looked at Noah, who'd still been sitting alone and sighed. He had to do it. He refused to let Noah sit alone like that once Valentine's Day had come around.

Finally, Chef gave them their cue.

* * *

  
The party had continued for a few more minutes, but Noah hadn't really cared. There was something bothering him at this very moment. What was it, you all ask?

Cody.

Cody had apparently been trying to get his attention… Or Ezekiel's… How he figured this out? Cody and Owen could've ate their food near the buffet table or on the pool chairs, which were closer to them then the hot tub was. They also sat near Noah, who had been farther away from the buffet table than Ezekiel, so they must've craved HIS attention. Also, the main evidence that pointed to them wanting his attention was…

… that it was CODY doing this! The boy had been trying to get Noah's attention since the show ENDED! Every time Noah checked his e-mail, Cody seemed to have sent FIVE in the time he had been away from the computer…! Which was usually only HALF AN HOUR at the MOST! The boy had wanted to talk to him, but Noah being NOAH, he'd always ignore them and check his other e-mails…

There was nothing wrong with the guy, it's just… Noah really didn't want anything to DO with Total Drama Island once it ended. His brothers and sister's tortured him DAILY about it! And CODY was the main reason WHY! Every day he'd go to breakfast and find them making puckering sounds at him to tease him. SOME of them even BOTHERED him about the other campers!!

Isaiah, his oldest brother at 29 and had also been Noah's favorite, questioned him about his intentions of entering the show to begin with.

Sarah, his oldest sister at 27, had been questioning him about Chris as well, saying he looked really good for someone completely sadistic.

Jonah and Josiah, twin brothers at 24, always made fun of him about Cody and constantly e-mailed him links to videos on youtube that joked about the Awake-A-Thon incident. They also liked reminding him of his poor placement in the competition.

Mariah, sister at 22, bombarded him with questions about Justin, which was the one thing that bothered him the most… Especially since she KNEW how much he hated Justin.

Zachariah, brother at 20, constantly asked him questions about how Chris made his hair look good (Like HE of all people were going to know!).

Leah, sister at 18, had been an anime fan, and drew MANY pictures of Noah and Cody together. She had also asked if she could talk with the other contestants by getting their contact information from Noah, to which he refused without hesitation. He had no idea what she'd do, and he didn't want her talking to Izzy OR Eva.

Lastly, his brother Elijah at 17, who kept the embarrassing incidents alive in the school, and caused everyone to lose all respect they might have had for Noah as the Class President…

School really sucked for him. Home wasn't any better. Noah couldn't help but blame everything on Cody… Cody was the main thing that the rest of his fellow 'AH' tribe (He and his siblings, since their names all end in 'ah', which was what his mother would always scream when they had all been trouble-making, stress-inducing kids) members would mock him for… He hated it. His mother and father couldn't really do anything, since most of them were adults…

He hated it.

He blamed it all on the stupid show, and everyone involved.

He was still surprised that he even got to be friends with TRENT with what happened. What was he going to do when he came home from this reunion and face them after they had been watching this? The whole Cody thing would become a BIGGER issue than it had already been!

He sighed, rubbing his temple as he thought about this… However, he suddenly sat up and looked around. Something was off about this party. He turned his head around in every direction, looking for the face of the person he'd been thinking about this entire time.

He couldn't find Cody anywhere. And with this in mind, his eyes narrowed. If Cody wasn't around for a party… then he must've been up to something. Noah wasn't stupid. Cody wasn't one to give up that easily. If he really wanted the know-it-all's attention, he'd try and try again until he made it happen.

With that thought in mind as a cue, the lights had all suddenly gone off, along with the music that Chef had been playing not too long ago. The other campers had all groaned in reply, especially Geoff. Suddenly, a few spotlights turned on and moved around the area, and it made Noah wonder who had paid for them. Suddenly, everyone noticed some blue lights brighten up at the buffet table, on which four figures had been standing on, completely still… The lights were light enough to show that they were there, but dim enough to keep them unidentifiable…

While everyone had stared at the quartet questionably, the two who'd been on the sides had moved swiftly, and everyone felt the vibrations of a guitar and a keyboard filling their ears. The music began to play, and it had sounded like a rock song, yet, not so alternative or anything loud like that. Their eyes widened as the first line of the song was sung.

"_Hey Juliet… HEY JULIET_!" sang the figure in the middle, who's back was turned to the audience.

The rest of the figures had been moving now, and there were even sounds of a record scratching or something like that, and everyone noticed Chef had returned to his post as the DJ in order to make them. They turned back to the quartet as the song began, and their jaws dropped as the blue lights brightened enough to show who the quartet had been…

Noah had even dropped his book at the sight as Cody began to sing.

"_Hey I've been watching you  
Every little thing you do  
Every time I see you pass  
By the Killer Bass, makes my heart beat fast  
I've seen you read books twice  
And I see you roll your eyes  
Still can't believe you're real  
No one gets your deal, and that's your big appeal_" He sang.

Noah wanted to die right then and there. When the 'AH' tribe got a hold of this scene in their heads, they'll never leave him alone. NEVER. They barely left him alone NOW! He was speechless from the worry and fear of going home to face them… He couldn't even notice the spotlight hovering over him, getting him some stares in return. Cody continued singing.

"_'Cause I know you really want me_" he sang.

"_Yeah_" sang Trent, being Cody's back-up.

"_I hear Izzy talk about me_" sang Cody.

"_Yeah_" sang Trent.

At that, Noah glared at Izzy, who had also had a dropped jaw, surprisingly. Sure, she was crazy, but even SHE couldn't contemplate what was going on here at the party, especially since her name had been used.

"_So why you tryin' to do without me  
When you got me  
Where you want me_?" sang Cody.

"_Hey Juliet_" sang Trent.

"_I think you're fine  
I really want you mine  
Maybe someday, you and me can start to date  
I just want you to know  
I wanna be your Romeo  
Hey Juliet_"

Cody was really getting into it now. He was having fun with it, which was something everyone was starting to get used to as their jaws weren't dropped anymore. Katie and Sadie were even dancing to the beat as he continued to sing.

"_Boy, you got me on my knees  
Beggin' please, baby please  
Got my best DJ on the radiowaves saying-_"

"_Hey Juliet, let's hang out- you and me_" Chef, who had still been the DJ, said that part.

"_Too far to turn around  
So I'm gonna stand my ground  
Gimme just a little bit of hope  
With a nod or a glance, gimme one more chance  
'Cause I know you really want me_"

"_Yeah_" sang Trent.

"_I hear Katie talk about me_" sang Cody.

Katie and Sadie both halted at that, and looked to see Noah glaring at them, too. Everyone was starting to get a LITTLE bit uncomfortable since they could tell that Noah wasn't liking this.

"_Yeah_" sang Trent.

"_So why you tryin' to do without me  
When you got me  
Where you want me_?" sang Cody.

"_Hey Juliet_" sang Trent.

"_I think you're fine  
You really blow my mind  
Maybe someday, you and me can run away  
I just want you to know  
I wanna be your Romeo  
Hey Juliet_" sang Cody.

Noah was REALLY not liking the attention he was getting. Geoff had been partying while Bridgette stared at him with concern. Courtney was shocked to find Duncan could play the drums, Justin was showing off again, but everyone could still see the surprise in his eye. Beth was watching him, as was LeShawna, Eva, and Izzy, who wondered what he was going to do…

Gwen was watching Trent, but had taken a couple of glances towards Noah, as she was also anxious to see his reaction. DJ, who was holding Bunny, Tyler, and Ezekiel couldn't help but look at him with sympathy, as they knew this HAD to be the most embarrassing thing to have EVER happened to him! Owen was just eating, Heather couldn't contain her laughter, and Lindsay didn't know what was going on, but cheered for Cody's singing.

Noah was getting more embarrassed by the second, and he didn't like it one bit. NOT ONE BIT. Especially since Cody seemed to have been enjoying making his life worse. He didn't know how much more of this he could take…

"_I know you really want me  
I hear Sadie talk about me  
So why you tryin' to do without me  
When you got me  
Where you want me-_?"

Well, Noah knew now. He couldn't take ANYMORE!! He stood abruptly from where he was, not caring about anyone staring at him anymore, and walked towards the entrance of the Playa. It only irritated him more that the spotlight that was on him the entire time started following him, and caused everyone to notice him walking off, including Cody, Trent, Harold, and Duncan. He glared at them, and everyone else as he walked into the building, not saying a thing.

The party seemed awfully tense now. Cody stared off after Noah, as did many of the other party animals in the audience. Nothing could be heard but Heather's laughing… Until LeShawna slapped her in the nose, causing her to fall into the pool. Cody felt really confused, but knew that Noah walking off in the middle of his song was not a good thing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Harold snatched the microphone out of Cody's hands and took a deep breath. Everyone who was still watching the entrance of the hotel building had suddenly cringed at the sound of Harold… Who was now singing,..

"**HEY LESHAWNA  
I THINK YOU'RE FINE  
YOU REALLY BLOW MY MIND-**"

"AAAAAHHH!!" they all shouted, as Duncan and Courtney threw something at him to shut him up.

With this, he had fallen on Heather, who'd been trying to get out of the pool, and they both fell back in. No one could contain their laughter at this point… Except Cody and Trent…

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Chef**: "Hyeh hyeh hyeh hyeh hyeh! That boy is SERIOUSLY delusional if he thinks that lazy shrimp is EVER gonna return his feelings!"

**Trent**: "Um… I really don't wanna know what Noah will be like when I get back to the room…"

**Cody**: "He must be really peeved… Did I do something wrong? I bet it was the song! WHY'D I CHOOSE THAT SONG!?"

**LeShawna**: "String Bean is SERIOUSLY starting to creep me out! I can see why Noah's getting so high-strung with Cody around!"

**Harold**: "I don't know why everyone was okay with Cody's singing and not mine! _IDIOTS_!"

* * *

  
As Trent took the elevator with Cody, he noticed the smaller tech-geek's downhearted expression and frowned. He was not sure of what to do now. Noah was not in a good mood, and Cody wasn't any better. Actually, Trent knew that had he not given Cody the suggestion, they wouldn't have sang the song, and Noah wouldn't have gotten angry with them…

Suddenly, Trent also noticed something in Cody's hands. A book?

"Dude… What's that for?" asked Trent, gesturing towards the book.

"Oh… It's Noah's… He dropped it and left it at the party…" he replied, sighing as he remembered the boy's reaction towards their performance.

"…Do you want me to return it to him?" asked Trent, thinking it was something he should do since he got that boy into that mess…

"Nah, it's okay, dude… I think I should do it…"

Trent looked at him for a while, and the elevator doors had opened to reveal the hallway of the top floor that they resided in… He noticed Cody take a deep breath before walking towards Trent and Noah's room. Deciding that this was something he needed to do on his own, Trent stayed on the side of the outside of the elevator to watch in case Cody needed some back-up.

Cody looked at him for encouragement, which was what Trent gave him as he pulled two thumbs up for him. He smiled in gratitude and knocked lightly on the door, hoping that Noah would answer.

"Whoever you are, you're not Trent, so go away" was heard from the other side of the door.

Cody slumped at this, and Trent took this as his cue to get his keys and open the door for Cody, letting him go in. Cody stepped in slowly, looking around to find Noah playing his DS on his bed, looking extremely grumpy. Cody gulped at this, and walked over to the boy.

When Noah noticed Cody, his first reaction was to glare at him. If looks could kill a guy, Cody would probably be in pieces and buried in the dark depths of a jungle. Noah refused to speak a word as he watched Cody take a seat on Trent's bed, and before anything else could be done, Cody held a hand out with his book in it, surprising Noah.

"… You dropped it outside during the party…" Cody said.

Noah stared at the book for a while, then looked back and forth between it and Cody's face. He awkwardly reached for it and took it from his hand. He then looked back at Cody, his glare fading away, yet, suspicious of why Cody had not left already.

"… Dude, I… I don't know what else to say except…"

He took a deep breath.

"…I'm sorry…"

Noah stared at him blankly. Cody was apologizing to him? SOMEONE was apologizing to him? He'd never gotten one of those before… Never… Not even from a member of the 'AH' tribe even though they were due for some of them.

"I didn't realize that my song would embarrass you so much, dude… In fact, I was kinda hoping you'd like it, but… yeah…" he said, scratching the back of his head.

He stood from Trent's bed.

"So… Yeah, I'll be going back to my room now" he said before walking towards the doorway.

Noah watched after him in awe. Cody returned his book, which was something NO ONE would've probably done, other than Trent or Geoff, and apologized to him. Actually, he hadn't received an apology from anyone here since that one pointless one from Sadie who splashed his shirt with water from Total Drama Island during their stay at Playa Des Losers.

He then looked at his book and sighed. He hadn't noticed Trent walk into the room, looking to see if Noah was still steamed. When he noticed Noah's calm look, he walked over and sat on his bed, hoping to see if Noah was mad at him or not. He also noticed the distant look Noah had in his eye as he stared at the book that had once been in Cody's hands, and forced back a smile.

"Hey, dude…" he started.

Things were a little awkward between them. Noah was still a little mad, but it faded completely when he stared at his book.

"… You let him in here, didn't you? I heard the doorknob rattle from the key opening it…" he said.

Trent shrugged.

"Yeah, well… He's a good guy, y' know? He just wanted to drop that off for you and apologize, dude. You gotta admit, not many would have done it" he said, walking to their room bathroom, leaving the boy to think to himself.

It was true. Not many WOULD do it, and it shocked him that Cody, who had always been a little wimpy and shy about that kind of thing would do it. He looked back at the door again, then at the book. He set he chin on his palm. When he thought about it… They had been okay with each other before the Awake-A-Thon, and they probably would've stayed that way had the accident never happened. Cody probably wouldn't have had to try so hard to be friends with Noah again…

When he thought about it, what made everything so awkward? Accidents happen, right? Cody had been completely okay with it, despite that he had a thing for Noah now. It would take the mind of LINDSAY to not realize it. And he sighed.

Cody was trying. Why couldn't Noah?

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: _*Sigh*_ "I… I guess I could TRY to be friends with him again… It couldn't kill me, right?" _*He stares at the camera, and his face falters*_

**Trent**: "I know I said that Cody probably didn't have a chance with Noah, but… Seeing that look in Noah's eye when he stared at that book… I think we may be in for a few surprises"

**Gwen**: "Noah is Trent's roommate, and Cody IS a friend of ours… Something's bound to happen…"

* * *

  
Chris walks out in front of the camera again.

"This episode sure had some surprises! Cody singing! HAROLD singing! A whole lot of SPOTLIGHTS! … Where did we get those, anyway? Ah, whatever! Point is, Day 1 of Valentine's Day week is now OVER!"

As he said this, he noticed Harold, who was still looking like a rocker, and cringed.

"Will Noah finally give in and be friendly with Cody again? Will LeShawna EVER love Harold? And how will Cody try to get Noah to like him next? Stay tuned and find out tomorrow…

…On VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!"

One of the spotlights fall on Chris' head, knocking him unconscious, while Chef bursts out laughing in the background. He then falls over from it, still laughing. Then he stands and points at Chris.

"And THAT'S what you get, Pretty Boy!"

…TBC…


	3. Observing Justin and Geoff

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"… Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!" said Chris, sitting on a stool near the refreshment stand. He pulls the remote out again and the screen shows the faces of Noah, Cody, Trent, and LeShawna respectively.

"Yesterday, everyone had been enjoying themselves to an extent! Mainly anyone who wasn't Noah, Cody, or Trent! … Or LeShawna! Heh heh! You see, after the little barf fest Cody had when they arrived, there has been MAJOR tension between him and Noah! Of course, Trent being Trent, wasn't going to just take this sitting down! Nope, he was going to take it… While PLAYING GUITAR! During their welcome back party, Cody, Trent, Harold, and Duncan put on a little performance to help Cody try and woo the lazy know-it-all… Unfortunately, Noah wasn't too thrilled with it!"

He then played a clip of Harold snatching the microphone out of Cody's hand, and cringed when the clip began showing Harold's horrible last minute performance.

"…And neither was anyone else!"

He couldn't contain his laughter when the now 'muted' clip showed everyone's facial responses towards Harold's singing. Especially LeShawna's. The clip then continued to Harold falling on top of Heather, who then fell back into the pool she had not too long ago climbed out of.

"Of course, Cody seemed to have made up for it by returning Noah's book and apologizing… But what happens, now? Is Cody's sudden act of kindness and courtesy getting him some points?… I have no clue! Do you? Do you know, Chef?"

With this, the camera zoomed backwards to reveal Chef, who had been the bartender of the refreshment stand, pouring Chris some mimosa. He blinked, before turning back to Chris.

"You're actually SHOWING me in this recap?" asked Chef.

"Of COURSE, buddy old pal! After all, I need to repay you for that spotlight moment last night!" he said, and grabbed the mimosa he was holding in his hand and splashed it onto Chef's face.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!! It BURNS!!" he shouted, suddenly waving his arms around.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Chef- WATCH IT-!!"

As he shouted, Chef had pushed him over his chair and he fell into the pool. Coming up for air, he glared at Chef before climbing out of the pool.

"Aw, man! NOT cool, dude!!" he shouted, realizing his clothes were completely soaked and his hair was matted against his face. "Great! These were genuine SILK!"

Glaring at Chef, he turned back to the camera and smiled, teeth clenched together and eyebrow twitching. He walked away from the still rampaging Chef and spoke.

"Will Noah REALLY give Cody a chance? Is Cody gonna ruin it? Will Harold give up by the time this week ends? And will Chef stop RUNNING AROUNG LIKE A FOOL!? … Who knows? Let's find out on Day 2...

…Of VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!"

With that, Chef had run past the sadistic host, knocking him back into the pool with a yelp.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Bridgette**: "Was it just me…? Or was I hearing Chef and Chris yelling at 6:30 this morning?" _*Feels her forehead*_ "Maybe I HAVE been making out with Geoff too much"

**Tyler**: "Ya know, it kinda feels weird using this thing! I've actually never used it at Camp Wawanakwa!… But… Now that I am, I totally forgot why I came in here…"

* * *

Gwen had been walking through the hallways of the Playa Des Losers' main building, heading for the elevators that would surely take her up to the top floor, where her boyfriend's room had resided. Just as she pressed the button, the doors had opened, revealing a very surprised fading to amused face. She smiled as Trent walked out and pecked her on her cheek.

"Hey, beautiful. Good morning" he said, leading her into the elevator to head down for breakfast at the buffet table.

"Yeah. Good morning alright. I'm surprised you're not exhausted from last night" said Gwen, crossing her arms. Trent had laughed at this.

"Well, it's not like it was hard for me to go to sleep last night. Noah hadn't chewed me out like I thought he would" he replied, noticing her surprised look. "Cody apologized to him, so he wasn't so steamed when I got back to the room"

This surprised Gwen even more. Noah looked really angry last night, and with just a simple talk with Cody, everything was now fine? No grudges? No sarcastic remarks? Trent saw this look of suspicion and patted her shoulder.

"He's a good guy, Gwen. Just gotta know him a little" he said, smiling. She couldn't help but smile in response. She never really could resist one of his smiles…

"It's just… When I think about Noah, I think of a computer geek with nothing else to do but make others feel inferior and completely worthless. He totally made it seem that way during the dodge ball challenge… I just don't get how a small chat with Cody would make his impolite attitude just disappear like that" she said, and Trent frowned, but shrugged.

"Hey, the guy's got a lot on his plate. And I do mean a LOT" he said, as the thought of having eight siblings crossed his mind. "But I think Cody can change him… With a little _help_"

She definitely took notice of the emphasis on the word 'help', and he was looking straight at her. Her eyes widened, she shook her head and waved her hands furiously in front of her face.

"OH no! I will have NOTHING to do with this" she argued. "I think Cody should just go for him on his own"

"He asked OWEN for help on how to woo someone" Trent said, and Gwen's face faltered. Okay, she could see why he'd think Cody would need help, but that still didn't mean she was going to get involved.

"… Well, I'm sure he's not STUPID. He could find a way to-"

"He's gonna ask the other guys for advice and you know it" Trent argued again. She cringed at the thought of Cody asking people like Tyler or Harold for help…

"Shouldn't he just-"

"Noah would reject him straight up"

"Well, shouldn't he do it any-?"

"It's too soon for him to ask Noah out. Noah doesn't realize his feelings, yet"

"Cody should ask-"

"Eva and Izzy would make it worse"

"But-"

"Gwen, you KNOW Cody" Trent argued. "The guy needs some serious back-up if something goes wrong. Look, I'll ask LeShawna, Katie, and Sadie if you really don't want to do it, but he DID hook us up. I can't just let him get shot down when I know he's got a chance"

Gwen stared at the ground. It was true. Noah never really gave a good impression on her, but Cody liked him a lot. And Cody DID bring her and Trent together… But she'd already repaid that dept by giving the tech-geek her bra! She didn't owe him ANYTHING!

… So why did she feel like she did?

Was hooking someone up with a guy on the same level as helping them win a bet? Granted, Cody had LIKED her, and helped her hook up with someone else… And the bet didn't really mean much since he left the island the day after he'd won the bet… Basically, giving him her bra did NOTHING! She sighed heavily…She knew she was going to regret this...

"… Fine… I'll help be his back-up… But I STILL think this should be something Cody should do on his own! And if this ends up with our efforts being in vain, I'm going to make Cody regret it!" she said.

Trent smiled nervously. It was a start.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent**: "It was great to have Gwen backing me up on this! I actually can't wait to see what Cody's gonna do next!" _*Face falters*_ "… But I hope we'll be able to fix it for his sake…"

**Gwen**: "Cody BETTER appreciate this… If not, I'll slug him…"

**Tyler**: "ARGH! I STILL can't figure out why I came in here!"

* * *

Cody looked around his room groggily. He had just woken up, and it had taken him a while to remember yesterday's events… Okay, only 5 minutes, but it was all because he had trouble sleeping last night and it wasn't because Owen constantly let one loose in the middle of his sleep. He was actually wondering what Noah was doing. The boy didn't really say anything during Cody's apology, and that worried him.

As he washed up and changed his clothes, he had to wonder what the darker skinned boy was doing. He never could get Noah off his mind, and it never bothered him so he let it go on. Now… Was it a good thing? With the boy angered by his very presence? What was he going to do? He doubt that just by giving Noah back his book he gained his forgiveness… He banged his head against the mirror several times. What was he going to say to Noah NOW!? The boy probably knows his feelings already! He was DOOMED!!

…Suddenly, a knock was heard from his door…

He turned towards the door, then back to the sink, carelessly splashing and scrubbing the remaining soap from his face, and walked to the door, not having any clue as to who it could be. He opened the door…

"Cody-" BAM!

…Then slams it…

…Noah…

…Wait, NOAH!?…

…Oh, **SHOOT!!**

Cody suddenly yanked the door opened, nearly ripping it off the wall as he looked to see Noah standing there with a blank face, which was odd for the know-it-all. Yet, Cody had to admit that you don't randomly get your face slammed by a door too often. He laughed nervously.

"Heh heh… Sorry bout that!"

Great. Smooth move, Cody… What ELSE could go wrong with you today…? However, although hoping the answer wouldn't be answered, he noticed a smirk on Noah's face as he stifled a laugh.

"Did I… scare you by any chance?" he asked suddenly. Cody stared at him.

"Wha?" Noah pointed at Cody, but lower. Confused, Cody looked at himself, and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.

His pants were SOAKED!!

He must've splashed the water from the sink a bit TOO carelessly! His zipper and lower had been drenched in faucet water, and NOT in a good looking way, either! His face burned with embarrassment and he ran into the room, grabbing a pair of pants from his suitcase and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

At this, Noah couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and nearly fell to the floor from trying. He knew Cody was strange, but THAT just took the cake! After composing himself once again, he took a step into Cody and Owen's room, looking around. It was a nice room, he'd admit. Not very different from any of the other rooms, just the little decoration that Cody and Owen bothered putting up.

There was a photo frame of Izzy on Owen's nightstand, and he had to smirk at the object. Owen placing a picture of Izzy next to his bed? A bed full of snacks that he must've thought no one would be able to see under his blanket? He had to laugh now. It was actually kind of funny. Well, no… It'd be funny to see Izzy's face when Noah told her this new information…

He looked around more, not really able to stand the disorganization and odor of Owen's bed, which would probably have to be burned now… He walked over to their balcony, which stood over the Playa from an okay view. He couldn't really see the Playa itself, as the balcony was facing towards the open horizon of the ocean… But even he had to admit, it was a good view of the sun hovering above the ocean…

Well, it would be had it not been hot ENOUGH without it BLAZING on him! He walked back inside, wondering what was taking Cody so long in the bathroom to merely change a pair of pants. He looked over to Cody's bed now, wondering and hoping the boy hadn't put a picture of him on his nightstand as well.

To his relief, he hadn't found a picture. Just some magazines with articles about Total Drama Island. Curious, as he hadn't really bothered reading any of them, he picked one up and looked at the apparently 'hot topic' of the month of November.

It was an article about the couples that brewed from Total Drama Island. Bridgette and Geoff. Gwen and Trent. Courtney and Duncan. Possible Izzy and Owen… There was even an article about the ones people would HOPE would happen… Katie and DJ? Eh, it wasn't IMPOSSIBLE… Sadie and JUSTIN!? Eew… Not even gonna go there… Eva and Ezekiel? Well, he'll admit that the two have actually been talking to each other lately… Harold and LeShawna? That was for some reason the BIG TALK of the town. He highly doubted that it would happen though…

… Then Noah's eyes widened as he spotted another 'Should-Be' couple…

…Him and Cody… What was this?

_'Cody and him both being nerds made it OKAY'?!_

_'NOAH'S TOTALLY GAY'!?_

_'They don't have a distinct relationship with ANY girl!?' _

…WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS!?

Noah felt like tearing the magazine up to shreds!! This was EXACTLY why he hated being at home and school, and only NOW he finds out it was actually posted in a MAGAZINE!?! He was FURIOUS!! There was NO way that he and Cody were going to be a couple! They were just…! Well, they weren't friends, but Noah would try! He figured let Cody get SOMETHING! That's IT! THERE WOULD BE NOTHING MORE BETWEEN THEM!…

…Yet, he couldn't help but touch his lips when he looked at the picture they showed of him kissing Cody's ear… It was weird, but suddenly, the thought of him actually kissing Cody on the lips flashed through his mind, turning him red. He shook it off immediately as the tech-geek stepped out of the bathroom. Cody looked at him…

"You okay?" he asked, noticing the annoyed expression on Noah's face, worried that he'd done something.

At this, Noah couldn't help but falter. He had planned on giving Cody a chance, but now he wasn't so sure. What if more articles about them sprouted? Would it only make things worse for him when he ended up going back home…? He noticed Cody was stepping towards him and he snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he needed to answer him. He coughed.

"Uh, yeah, just… can't stand the smell of Owen's side…" said Noah, and Cody laughed.

"Oh! I guess I can't really tell anymore since I've spent two nights with him now!" he said, nervously.

Cody was still a little nervous around Noah, trying his hardest to forget about the incident from a few moments ago as he lead Noah out of their room. Noah looked at him, then at his mouth… He turned away in order to hide the redness in his face as he tried even harder to remove the thoughts from earlier from his mind. Looking at Noah, and realizing the randomness of the situation Cody spoke.

"Hey, so…" he said, getting the other boy's attention. "… Why'd… you come to my room? Something happen?"

Noah looked straight ahead as he walked into the elevator, avoiding eye contact with Cody.

"Breakfast is almost over, and you weren't out there yet" he said simply, making Cody slouched in disappointment. He had hoped there would be another reason for his arrival…

He heard Noah clear his throat. Then a thought struck Cody… Noah actually bothered to go all the way downstairs, eat breakfast, read a little while, NOTICE Cody wasn't around, STOP reading his book, and come all the way back up to the TOP floor to get CODY!? There HAD to be hope for him still, right? Maybe his little act of common courtesy brought Noah to realize that he likes him back! OH YEAH! The Codemeister's in the HOUSE, NOW!!

Cody pumped his fist into the air, earning a cocked eyebrow from Noah. If Total Drama Island was one of those Japanese cartoons that Noah's heard so much about, he'd probably be doing that weird sweat drop thing the characters do in awkward situations… *'Anamay', was it? He couldn't remember… It didn't matter, though…

He still had to figure out how to control his facial colors…

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: "Just to let you all know out there- I don't like Cody! So to all you mentally challenged 'fans' who think we'd be the most adorable thing to have EVER been created, I'll say it again for your pathetic brain cells to register! I. Don't. Like. Cody!! Final answer! End of story! Done! And I am NOT in denial!"

**Cody**: "Man, I can't wait to make another attempt on Noah! He's gonna fall head over heels for me the moment I try it!… Well, once I figure out what it is, at least…"

**Tyler**: "It's coming!… IT'S COMING!…" _*Someone knocks*_ "… And it's gone…"

* * *

  
Later, when breakfast had ended, Cody had been looking around observing the other campers from Total Drama Island. Knowing that Noah HAD to have liked him back now, he had to make the first move. Everyone knew Noah was too shy to do anything anyway!

With this new info burned into his brain, he looked around to observe how everyone was acting. Why? Well, on the week of Valentine's Day, love blossoms almost out of NOWHERE! And Cody needed to see how others were acting upon their feelings.

He already asked Owen… and made a mental note to himself to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!

He asked Trent… It probably would've worked, but he made another mental note that he should NEVER sing to Noah if he's trying to get his attention…

So now the question stands… Who should he ask, now?

There was Duncan, who helped him out with the song. But he might not be a good help right now. Cody needed someone who could sweep Noah off his feet!

There was Harold… No, Harold's attempts were GOOD, but NOT good enough!

Tyler? The guy was cool, but he was making out with Lindsay right now, so nothing much to observe…

Ezekiel? PSSH!! YEAH RIGHT!!

DJ? DJ didn't really like anyone from Total Drama Island, or so he makes it seem anyway… Either way, Cody really couldn't observe someone who did nothing but take care of their pet Bunny…

There was also Geoff, but… He couldn't really imagine what Geoff could have done to get a girl like Bridgette, but he didn't want to ask just yet… Maybe the next time Cody needs help, he'll ask Geoff. He was a swell enough guy.

So who else was there…?

"_**EEEEEEE!!**"_

At the sudden screeching, Cody lost his balance on his refreshment bar stool and fell into the pool. Coming back up for air, he looked around to see what caused the abrupt stop in his train of thought to see Katie and Sadie going gaga over Justin again…

…Wait a minute…

JUSTIN!!

That's PERFECT!! EVERYONE loves Justin! He had NO doubt in his mind that Noah had to have liked Justin, too! Sure, the guy was a model, and a bit of a schemer, but hey! When it came to looks, NO ONE could resist Justin! He didn't even have to observe the guy that long! All the guy did was rip off his shirt and smile! And the girls SWOONED over him like NOTHING! Man, even GUYS (Mainly Owen) swooned over him!

Seriously, how bad could it be? All he would do is rip his own shirt off, smile at Noah, and the darker boy would boy head over HEELS for him! Sure, Cody knew he was no Justin, but if Noah had already liked him, there'd be no problem cuz he'd like what he sees anyway! It was full-proof!

Suddenly, he noticed Noah walking his way. He had returned to his room to get another book from his bag, since he'd finished the one he brought out this morning. Now was the chance to do it! Cody swam over to the boy, who watched him suspiciously, and stepped out of the pool, facing Noah. Cody grinned at Noah, which caused the boy to cock an eyebrow in curiosity.

Next, Cody took a grab at his now wet t-shirt, which he had TOTALLY forgotten he had been wearing, and tugged his hardest at it, completely sure that it'd rip off and his body would do the rest…

… However, instead, the shirt didn't rip off. Cody looked at his shirt and tugged at it again! IT WASN'T WORKING! He tugged and tugged and tugged, making Noah uncomfortable at the scene before him. Cody suddenly tugged so hard that his feet slipped from the water that dripped off of his wet silhouette and fell forward, on top of Noah, who dropped his book on the ground, and caused them both to fall into the pool.

**SPLASH!!**

When they both came back up, Cody looked over at Noah to see if he had been alright… And immediately regretted it. Noah looked EXACTLY the way he did the night before, and Cody had feared that look ever since. Noah's head slowly turned towards Cody, emphasizing the anger that Noah was trying awfully hard not to express right now. Cody laughed nervously.

"Heh… heh heh…? Marco Polo, anyone…?" asked Cody, laughing nervously.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Duncan**: _*Cracking up laughing*_ "Ah ha ha! That was SMOOTH, geek! REAL SMOOTH!"

**Lindsay**: "Okay, I'm, like, SOOOOO confused! I swear Justine (Pronounced- Jus-TEEN) was the one who always ripped his shirt off! And Colby doesn't even do it right!… By the way, has anyone seen Taylor?"

**Tyler**: _*Stares at the camera*_ "…Maybe I should just come back later…"

**Eva**: "At least with Cody making all these attempts on Noah, all those freaks who think me and Noah should get together have taken a little vacation… Or at least, they BETTER have…"

**Izzy**: "Okay, I don't know how much more I can TAKE of his horrendous flirts! Cody should TOTALLY know that Noah wants him to SLOWLY and SEDUCTIVELY take his shirt off and THEN fall on top of him… in BED!" _*Snickers as she holds up video camera*_

* * *

  
Noah had been in his room, practically STEAMING. Did Cody think he was stupid? That he wouldn't have figured out he was imitating Justin!? His worst enemy!? His anti-him!? He knew Cody really liked him, and that he was willing to do whatever it took to get with Noah, but come ON! JUSTIN!? The boy HAD to be completely stupid to think that acting like JUSTIN would get Noah to like him!

It was totally infuriating. He sat on his bed and was so steamed he couldn't read or play a game without the tech-geek coming back into his brain somehow. Why was everything about this week getting him angrier!? Damn Cody and his stupid hormones… Damn those weird fans who thought they should get together… and DAMN CHRIS FOR BRINGING HIM BACK HERE!!

He sighed. He needed help. There was no way he could get Cody off of his back and relax for the rest of this week if the boy was going to constantly torment him. Hell, he could barely THINK!

Why would Cody be such a problem? Well, he caused everything to go wrong the FIRST time! If he hadn't fallen asleep near Noah, he wouldn't have kissed him on the ear, and nothing would have made his life anymore troubling then it already had been! No, he had to kiss Cody on the ear, and then deal with the 'AH' tribe back at home, along with his annoying student council members, along with the ENTIRE school!

Yeah, there were always times when he could get out of getting beaten up, but that little event made it a WHOLE LOT HARDER! Sure, he was still in one piece, and hadn't been beaten up, yet, but he got out of those recent situations by a HAIR! He'd probably be a dead man had he not had the intelligence of Einstein!

All he knew was that Cody was making his life worse. The guy was nice, and had once been tolerable, but now he was REALLY pushing it! What was he going to do? Cody was going to end whatever life he had back at home! He'd become a laughing stock… Err… MORE of a laughing stock! Maybe he should've just avoided him…

Ya know what? That's what he'll do! He'll avoid him! He will avoid all contact with Cody until the boy learns to back off!

* * *

  
Cody was stumped. How was he going to make Noah like him NOW!? The guy was still mad at him for what had happened earlier with the pool! He slumped in defeat. There HAD to be something he could do! As he sat in depression next to the hot tub where Geoff and Bridgette were making out, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation as they finally took a breath and chatted for a while.

"Hey, Bridge, do you remember that gift I gave you?" asked Geoff.

"We're on international TV, Geoff! We can't talk about THAT gift!" she replied, eyes widened. Geoff laughed.

"No no, not THAT gift! The very first one that I ever gave you!" he said, and she looked deep in thought, and a bulb lit up above her head.

"Oh, you mean the…" she hesitated. "…Heart shaped box with the… torn pictures of me and you put together…?" she smiled awkwardly, somewhat hesitant to remind herself of the strange present.

"Yeah!… You really liked it, right?" Geoff asked.

"Y-Yeah!" she said, trying REALLY hard not to falter. It was true, she DID like it… After getting used to it and realizing she was beginning to like Geoff as well at the time…

"Cool! I worked really hard on it, and DJ said that you wouldn't like it!" he said.

"I'll like ANYTHING you give me, Geoff" she said, assuring him. With that, they once again started to make out with each other.

Hearing this conversation made Cody think a little… Cody and Noah's relationship HAD been okay until the Awake-A-Thon, so that made it a little awkward. Kinda like Geoff and Bridgette's before they ended up hooking up with each other. That means Cody was like Geoff, and Noah was like Bridgette!… Okay, there're MANY different things that were wrong about that picture, but whatever!

So if Cody were to make something for Noah… He'd like it? Cuz Noah must've had SOMETHING there for Cody if he came to his room to get him up for breakfast! Cody would just have to do the rest! And he'll do it! Whatever it takes! He'll do it! And Noah SHOULD like it if Cody puts his heart into it!

Yup! That was his next plan!

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Cody**: "Okay, so I KNOW I made a few mess ups before, but there's NO way I could screw this up!"

**Katie**: "When I saw that look in Cody's eyes, it TOTALLY meant that he was up to something, right?  
**Sadie**: "Totally! And Trent asked us earlier if we wanted to help out! Of COURSE we were going to say yes! Noah totally NEEDS a guy like Cody to get him to loosen up!"  
**Katie**: _*Nods*_ "Yup! And we told Trent about our suspicions, and he was totally on it!"  
**Sadie**: "Oh my gosh! Noah and Cody would TOTALLY be like US if they went out!"  
**Katie**: _*Gasp*_ "That'd be, like, so cool!"  
**Both**: "EEEEEEE!!"

**Trent**: "There was no way I was gonna stand back while Cody was going to make something for Noah. The guy's TOTALLY accident prone!… Aw, crap. Now they've got ME doing that!"

**Gwen**: _*Sigh*_ "Time for the first day at work"

* * *

  
Trent knocked on Cody and Owen's door for Owen to answer it, suddenly running back in and jumping on his bed, hiding every snack he had under his bed. He called out to Trent telling him it was okay for him to come in, and both Trent and Gwen (Who Owen hadn't noticed) walked in to find Cody on his laptop looking oddly concentrated. They looked at each other before walking to him to see what he was doing.

…And they wished they hadn't.

Apparently, Cody found a picture of him and Noah online and was photo-shopping it into a card. A card for Noah. The picture wasn't exactly a pleasant thing to look at…

"Hey, Cody, whatcha up to?" asked Trent.

Not noticing the two come in, the boy jumped and immediately closed his laptop in attempt of hiding his project. While Gwen rolled her eyes, Trent sat next to Cody on the bed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Not getting anywhere with Noah, huh?" asked Trent.

"No! I am! I'm gonna send him this awesome card! He'll love it!" he said confidently, while Gwen cringed. At this point, even SHE was starting to feel a little bad for Noah. Trent noticed this, and silently agreed.

"Um… It looked great, but… Wouldn't you wanna take it easy and start off with something simpler?" asked Trent, and Cody's face blanked out.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, uh…" At this point, Trent was slightly panicking. What was he going to say? Luckily, he brought Gwen with him, so that made things a little easier.

"What he means is that the card is coming on too strong. Try something else. What makes you think of Noah?" asked Gwen.

Cody thought for a moment then snapped his fingers.

"Katie!" he answered confidently.

…Silence… Cricket chirping…

"Katie…?" Gwen asked, making sure she heard right.

"Yeah! I mean, when I look at Katie, if her hair was put down, styled differently, and had his expression, her head would look just like Noah's!" Cody said.

They all stared at him, then looked at each other. Owen snickered, trying VERY hard NOT to crack up and possibly DIE laughing from the comparison of the two. Owen even tried imagining Noah in Katie's clothes saying 'EEE!' and he immediately burst out laughing. The other two, along with Cody, looked at him, wondering what the hell he was laughing at.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Owen**: "Galloping Alabasters, that was HILARIOUS!"

**Gwen**: "We're doomed"

**Trent**: "Katie? What was the guy THINKING!? They'd look NOTHING alike!"

* * *

  
"Look, Cody, something that could spark an idea for a GIFT for Noah" said Gwen, rubbing her temple, trying to keep her laughter in control as Trent tried as well, but covering his face completely with his hands.

"Hmm… Something else… Well, there's books" said Cody.

"He's probably read most of the ones published" said Trent. "He's even resorted to reading Twilight! Highly doubt he'd read that of his own will…"

He noticed Gwen giving him a questionable look.

"… I saw it in his bag" Trent answered, as if reading Gwen's mind. Cody suddenly thought of something.

"Well, there's… something else that reminds me of him…" said Cody, and the others stared at him in curiosity.

"And what would that be?" asked Owen.

And he told them.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Gwen**: "Wow… I'm not sure what to think about that, but… It at least had more logic than that whole 'Katie' thing"

**Trent**: "I think that would be a cool gift! Noah may be offended, though… But I don't know. He's a little different since that talk we had when becoming roommates. He may just surprise me!"

**Owen**: "I dunno! That sounds like something Izzy would give me"

* * *

  
A knock was placed on Noah's door, and he cautiously looked through the peephole before opening it. He was serious when he silently vowed to avoid Cody. There was no way that boy was coming anywhere NEAR him as long as Noah was still sane. However, to his surprise, no one was around. He opened the door to look for someone who could've been hiding, but nothing. He looked once more suspiciously, then turned around to close the door. Just as he was about to, he looked down to notice something on the ground.

A plate. With a marshmallow and a note.

Shocked, surprised, and confused, he picked the plate and the note up to see what the meaning of it could have possibly been. He wasn't shocked to find out who it had been from.

_'You never got one, right? When we were on Total Drama Island… Well, I think you should have one! Every contestant is a winner after all the things we went through during the show…_

_…So I'll be the one to hand you your's…_

_Cody'_

He stared at this note, rereading every word and wondering if it had really been from Cody himself. He looked around, spotting Cody's room door, closed. However, when he looked closer, he saw a piece of yellow fabric caught between the door. Obviously Cody's shirt got stuck as he tried to run back to his room. He looked at the marshmallow again…

This may have actually been the very first time, other than the night before when he returned his book, that Noah actually felt… good… Like he'd been noticed, cared about, and not left behind. You get that feeling a lot when in a big family…

Maybe Cody had made Noah's life at home hell after the show. Maybe the boy was frustrating him while being back here at Playa Des Losers during Valentine's Day week…

But at least, unlike the 'AH' tribe and his fellow classmates… He was trying to make up for it. Sure, the marshmallow was a reminder of his low placement in the show, but yet, the thought of actually getting one made Noah feel light. He heard a slam and looked back at Cody's door to notice the yellow fabric had been gone, and shook his head, smirking.

Cody was a real dork…

…But he'll be Noah's dork… Of a friend, at least!

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: _*Sigh*_ "I'm not going soft. I just… feel sorry for the guy! Yeah, that's it…" _*Looks at the marshmallow in his hand and covers his mouth to hide a smile*_

**Trent**: "I went back to the room that night late, and I found Noah in asleep in his bed, with the uneaten marshmallow on his nightstand. At first, I thought the plan failed, but… Then I saw a post-it next to it that wasn't Cody's previous note…"

**Gwen**: "… Then Trent came back to me and LeShawna's room to tell us what had been on the note. I gotta say, I was quite surprised…"

**LeShawna**: "Honey, I almost didn't believe Trent when he told us that the note said…"

**All Three**: "_Trent, don't eat this. It's special, and I'm not even sure I will eat it…_"

* * *

  
Outside, Chris had walked out in front of the camera, smiling brightly at the camera now that his hair and clothes were all fixed. He looked around and noticed that there were campers still up and lounging around the pool such as Katie, Sadie, Owen, Tyler, and Heather. However, no one was really pleased with Heather being around them, and were curious as to why she had been sitting with them.

"Well, today's events seemed to have been ALL OVER the place!" Chris asked, and noticed Chef coming dangerously close to him with a cup of mimosa.

"Payback time, Pretty boy" he said, then threw the cup at Chris.

Suddenly, things seemed to go in slow motion as the cup approached Chris, seeming to be aimed for his hair. In horror, Chris waved his arms in front of himself to protect it in a lame attempt.

However, out of nowhere, Owen seemed to have somehow raced in front of him and caught the mimosa cup. Looking to see what was left in the cup that hadn't spilled, he drank the rest and rubbed his stomach happily. Everyone stared at this scene quite oddly, while Chris actually looked grateful to Owen.

"Wow, dude! Thanks, man! This hair isn't easy to style" said Chris, passing a high-five to Owen.

"No, problem! I love mimosa! It's refreshing!" said Owen.

"But… Isn't it alcoholic?" asked Katie.

"Only some. You can drink it for breakfast, I hear, so it's not too bad" answered Sadie.

"Oh…" replied Katie. Heather rolled her eyes at this while Owen sighed.

"Wow, I feel REALLY energetic now!" he said before running towards the pool again. "**CANNONBALL!!**"

As he shouted that, the other four had watched in horror as the boy landed in the water, splashing everyone around him, including Chef and Chris. Chris didn't exactly look happy, but Chef did as he laughed at the sadistic host. When the tidal wave Owen caused died down, everyone had been completely soaked.

"Ah! OWEN!" shouted Heather, who's short but nicely styled hair had now been soaked and matted against her face. She glared at the boy as he took a seat next to Tyler.

While this happened, Katie shook her head back and forth, getting the wetness out of her hair. Once she got enough out of hair, she stopped, her hair now looking different from normal as the others stared at her.

"Oh my GOSH, Katie! You look just like NOAH with that hair!" said Sadie.

"Dude, that's so weird!" said Owen, amazed at the comparison.

"Funny. Cody told me that once" said Katie, feeling her hair.

"Oh, please! You're all idiots! She looks NOTHING like Noah!" said Heather.

Everyone had glared at her, but Tyler had actually looked at Heather as if in realization.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

**Tyler**: "NOW I know why I came in here! I just remembered that I saw Heather snooping around Trent and Noah's doorway when I was leaving Lindsay and Beth's room one day! I wonder if I should've told them this… It could mean trouble!"

* * *

  
"Okay, NOW that everyone's finally gone to sleep, MAYBE we can film this without anything happening!" said Chris, who watched Chef closely. "A lot of things happened today, and there were SO many things that I've gotten confused! However, basically, Cody's taken some notes from Geoff and Justin! Heh heh, not so smart of him on the JUSTIN factor…"

He walked away from Chef, not sure what the guy would do to him, and not sure he wanted to know.

"It is now the end of Day 2 here at Playa Des Losers and things are really heating up! Will Cody succeed in his trial for Noah? Is Noah ACTUALLY starting to return his feelings? And just WHAT is this gift that Bridgette got from Geoff? I don't know, but maybe we'll find out tomorrow, so don't forget to watch us…

…On VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!"

…TBC…

* * *

*Anamay=Anime


	4. Helping DJ

* * *

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"…Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!" says Chris, who smiles at the camera.

"Everyone at the Playa is having a GREAT time being here with each other. Well, except for Heather, that is! But will that change with Valentine's Day happening in five days? Just WHAT will go down? Who will start flirting with who? Will new couples sprout from this little reunion soon? And the main question for all of you viewers- Will Cody get together with Noah? I'm not so sure, but let's look at yesterday's events!"

With this, once again, he brought out his handy-dandy remote control and clicked towards the camera, bringing out a scene with Trent and Gwen.

"First off, the morning started with Trent and Gwen suddenly deciding to help out Cody, with a LOT of persuasion on Trent's part! Then all of a sudden Noah actually decides to be nice and make sure that Cody gets up in time to grab breakfast? Whoa, maybe something WILL happen between the two of them? Dunno, but it certainly gave Cody enough confidence to try imitating JUSTIN MCGORGEOUSNESS in order to once again, try and flirt with Noah. But because Noah had already been ticked off about some magazine articles he found in Cody's room, Cody's once possible chances, have gone down the drain"

He chuckled.

"However, Gwen and Trent finally decide to test out their matchmaking skills and help out Cody with the gift he planned on giving to Noah, an idea he got from overhearing Geoff and Bridgette in the hot tub. Surprisingly, Noah actually LIKED it! Has Cody brought his chances up again? Who will Cody get advice from NOW!? Will Trent and Gwen be able to fix it the next time he screws up? And when will this entire dramatic sequence be OVER so we can start wondering about someone ELSE!?"

A clip of everyone in the confessional janitor's closet had shown, and many of them were of Tyler, which reminded Chris of another note.

"Oh, and another thing. Apparently, Heather, who's been oddly quiet throughout this week just might have something up her sleeve! Does it have to do with Trent or does it have to do with Noah? Who knows? I don't, but let's just see what happens TODAY, DAY 3...

…of VALEN-…-TINE…COUNTDOWN!!"

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

Cody: "I wonder if Noah liked the marshmallow… Never really got to ask Trent last night"

* * *

  
Cody sat near the refreshment stand, waiting for a certain know-it-all to show up. Everyone else had been awake and chilling out, some of them working, trying to prepare themselves for Valentines Day, while others were just plain stressing out. It wasn't like there had been a shop here in Playa Des Losers for them to buy things for others. So basically, they had to use their heads to figure out what to give to their crushes.

However, for Cody, he wasn't even sure the tiny gift he gave Noah the night before had been good enough. Maybe the marshmallow was a bit offensive. He could totally see Noah getting peeved at the little thing that reminded him of his low placement in Total Drama Island.

Without any warning, he was suddenly confronted by Katie and Sadie, who looked oddly excited about something. They watched him as though they wanted to say something, and that thought made Cody nervous.

"Oh my gosh, Cody! That was SUCH a cute thing you did for Noah!" said Katie.

"Yeah! Totally!" agreed Sadie. "It was MAJORLY cute!"

"ULTIMATELY!" agreed Katie. Cody was watching them, confused.

"Girls, you're making a big deal out of it"

Looking towards the new voice, Cody saw Gwen, Trent, and LeShawna taking a seat next to him on the refreshment stand. He was definitely confused. What were they talking about?

"Cody, the plan worked, dude! Noah really liked the marshmallow" said Trent, patting him hard on the back. Cody was almost speechless.

"What!? Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, boy! Nerd never even ate it yet cuz he liked it so much!" said LeShawna, smiling in satisfaction from the look on Cody's face.

Cody was ecstatic! A plan actually worked for him! Noah liked his gift, and maybe he'd be on good terms with the boy! He always wanted to be friends with Noah, and sooner or later, maybe he'll be more with him! He was almost not believing it, but LeShawna and Trent wouldn't lie to him! He had to do something else now! He had to get himself more noticed by Noah! He had to get his attention away from the gift and just on him! He had to… impress Noah!

…But how…?

Suddenly, a Frisbee hit his head and caused him to fall into the pool. Trent and the others watched in shock as the Frisbee seemed to have some out of nowhere! Once Cody came back up for air, not injured in any way, he looked around to see Tyler waving at him apologetically.

"Yo, sorry, dude! Think you can pass that back?" asked Tyler.

Cody looked at the Frisbee floating next to him, shrugged, and threw it back to Tyler, letting him catch it easily. Tyler shouted a 'thank you' and ran off to play with DJ again, while Cody watched them curiously. As he did, he didn't notice Noah walk out, book in hand as he also sat on the refreshment stand, next to LeShawna. Trent waved at him in acknowledgement.

"Hey, Noah, what's up?" asked Trent. Noah nodded at him, looked at Cody for second, then immediately started reading his book. Trent smirked at this.

"Um, I've gotta go get something" said Trent. "Hey, Gwen, wanna come?"

Of course she was gonna know what he was getting at, and stood with him, getting away from the refreshment stand. LeShawna was the next person to stand, trying to think of an excuse.

"Uh, I gotta run, too. Harold's probably up to something and I shouldn't stay in one spot for too long" she said, not exactly lying. Katie and Sadie took that as their cue to leave, too, and just walked off looking for Justin.

This, however, left Noah and Cody by themselves… Which made things a little awkward… And Noah was not an idiot. He could tell what they were trying to do, and he wasn't falling for it. Not one bit. However, Cody, who had finally taken a nervous glance at him, decided to break the uncomfortable ice…

"So… How was your day?" asked Cody, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Although Noah was nervous around the boy, he wasn't going to SHOW it!

"It just started" replied Noah, not taking his eyes away from his book. Cody flinched a little.

"Ah… Well…" started Cody. Yeah, this was NOT going too well. He was beginning to wonder if what Trent and the others said about his present being liked was true. "Um… How's that book?"

"Fine"

Such a cold answer. It felt as though lightning bolts went off in Cody's head. He immediately slumped in his seat, hoping Noah wouldn't notice. However, wishing for a little too much, Noah noticed.

"What're you doing?"

Cody immediately sat up, fixed himself, and smiled at the know-it-all.

"Nothing"

Noah raised an eyebrow.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

Izzy: "Dear Lord of macaroni and cheese- THE BOY'S BLOWING IT!!"

**Katie**: "Oh my GOSH! Did we tell you? We overheard Chris saying there'd be a SURPRISE for everyone on VALENTINE'S DAY!"  
**Sadie**: "Oh, I KNOW!! I, like, can't wait to see what it IS!!"  
**Katie**: "I can't, either! I hope it's a dance! I KNOW Justin will be taking me!"  
**Sadie**: "… Wait a minute, who said he'd take YOU?"  
**Katie**: "I did, cuz he will!"  
**Sadie**: "No, he'll be taking ME!"  
**Katie**: "Oh no he WON'T!"

**Lindsay**: "No WAY! I heard there's going to be a surprise for us on Valentine's Day!… I wonder what it could be, I mean, like it's not like it's a special occasion or anything!"

**Noah**: "Look, Cody's okay, but I still don't think we should 'go out'? All the guy really knows about me is that I'm sarcastic, cynical, and I like to read books. Plus, I… I just don't think it'd work…"

* * *

  
Cody and Noah sat like that for a while, now. Cody just whistling innocently while Noah continued to read his book, completely forgetting the other boy had been there. That is, until a Frisbee hit Cody on the head. He toppled over his chair, into Noah, and the two of them fell into the pool together… Again… Noah came up for air.

"Cody!" he shouted, looking for his book. Cody came up to see Noah staring at his ruined book in horror.

"Dang, Noah, I-I'm sorry!" said Cody, helping him back onto his stool. Noah looked at him, took a VERY deep breath, and sighed.

"…Whatever, I've only read that book a thousand five hundred forty-eight times anyway…" he muttered.

Cody bowed his head in shame, not able to believe that he's been doing this ever since he came to the Playa. Every time he tried something he just fell right back down! What was he supposed to do!?

"Hey, Cody!"

He sat up, looking around. He noticed DJ waving at him from his pool chair, where he sat with Bunny. With curiosity plastered on his face, Cody shrugged and waved a quick bye to Noah before walking over to DJ. He sat down next to the dark, big guy.

"What's up, dude?" he asked, coolly. DJ sighed.

"Look, man, I can see what you're trying to do" he said, and Cody blinked. "You… trying to win over Noah…?" This time, he asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh!" replied Cody in realization. "Oh, yeah… That…"

"Yeah, dude… Um, I don't mean to sound nosy or anything, but… what've you done so far?" asked DJ, and Cody looked at him.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well…" started DJ, scratching the back of his head. "I… wanted to give someone… flowers… But I wanted to know if that'd be cool!"

Cody HAD to be dreaming. A cool guy like DJ was asking him for ADVICE!? He was totally tripping or something, or maybe it was a prank! But seriously, could this REALLY be happening!?

"Uh… Dude?" DJ asked, waving a hand in front of Cody's face.

"Oh, um… I think that's great, man! So…" started Cody, smirking and nudging DJ coolly. "Who's the lucky lady?"

DJ immediately blushed at this, turning away with shy expression on his face. It made Cody want to laugh a little, considering this was how he felt when he told his feelings to Trent… Although he hadn't been so GIDDY at the time! At least, that's what he thought, anyway… DJ finally got himself together before answering.

"…Well, it's… It's… Katie?" he said, looking for a reaction from Cody, who gave him a shocked one in response.

"Katie?!" Cody practically shouted.

"Yes?"

They both froze in their spots.

"Did you call me?" Katie asked, looking at the two with the most innocent expression anyone can muster.

They both looked at her, shocked, surprised, and unsure of what to do with this. In fact, it was all luck that Cody just happened to notice that Sadie wasn't around that an idea popped up.

"Oh, um" started Cody, scratching the back of his head. "We were just… uh… wondering where Sadie was!"

Katie's face was blank, looking around, she pointed to the refreshment stand where Noah was looking VERY aggravated as Sadie tried DESPERATELY to talk to him. About what Cody couldn't figure out, but he could tell he wasn't enjoying her company. Cody looked back at Katie.

"Oh! So THAT'S where she was! I told you, DJ!" said Cody, sighing in relief on the inside as he looked back at Katie, who raised an eyebrow at the both of them.

"You guys are… strange!" said Katie, oblivious to DJ's troubled look. "But I HAVE seen stranger so I guess it wouldn't be a problem for me!"

DJ's face brightened up at this as she turned to walk over to Sadie, who had STILL been bothering Noah. Cody couldn't help but sympathize with the boy, but turned back to DJ, who had been petting Bunny and staring off after Katie. Cody's eyes widened.

"Wow, you weren't kidding!" said Cody, and DJ snapped out of it.

* * *

  
**CONFESSION CAM**

DJ: "Man, that was close! It's a good thing Cody's a quick thinker!"

* * *

"Well, yeah… I would ask Duncan, but the dude's scary when he's busy trying to make something for Courtney!" said DJ, shuddering at the thought of disturbing him. "And Geoff is… not very good at wooing girls intentionally"

"So why don't you ask Tyler or Trent?" asked Cody, who had been flattered, yet, curious.

"Because you were able to get Trent and Gwen together, and I thought maybe you could do the same for me and Katie!" said DJ. "Look, man, I may know some girls and all, but Katie… She's different…"

Cody was watching him closely as he spoke.

"She may be ditzy, a little strange with the whole BFFFL thing with Sadie, but… She's really…" he started, and smiled. "Sweet"

Hearing this, Cody couldn't help but think about why he liked Noah…

Noah may be cold, sarcastic, and cynical, but underneath that is a kind hearted and passionate person. He'd never understand what it's like to have siblings and people look down on him, cuz it's never happened to him before, but he felt that Noah had to be strong in order to handle that. When Cody thought about it, he couldn't help but wonder -What had Noah been like before? What would he have been like if he was like Cody? An only child? Would he have been nicer? A little more open?

He wondered what he might've been like, but he also knew that there were many qualities about him now that made Cody like him more. Without the harshness of his family, Noah became confident. Maybe a little too confident, but it was definitely what Cody wished he was…

Sure, he acted cool and like a ladies man, but he also knew that people could see through this, and this brought a little doubt in himself. Yet, whenever he watched Noah, he felt… stronger. Like he could keep going. Noah never took anything from anyone. Insults, sneers, pranks, he always found a way to make himself the one laughing, and Cody respected him for that.

…But there was more. Definitely more.

He could remember a day at the Playa where he had been able to use his DS, and he was having so much trouble with this one part of his game… He had been struggling with the same puzzle on his Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass game, and he couldn't help but show his frustration at this.

…And he walked by…

_"Hey, need help much?" Noah asked, irritated with the boy's frustrated antics._

"Huh?" asked Cody, looking at him. "Oh, it's you, Noah…"

Noah looked offended at how the tech-geek said this, but noticed the DS.

"What're you playing?" he asked, walking over to look at the screen. "That game? Hmm…"

"What do you mean 'hmm'?" asked Cody, watching him carefully, not really liking the guy since the whole dodge ball challenge. Even if they were both eliminated from the show already, Cody still didn't really like the guy's attitude towards everything around him. However, before anything could be said, Noah picked up his DS and messed around with it, much to Cody's horror.

"H-Hey! I was playing!" he said, reaching for his DS. Noah shrugged.

"More like about to break it. Here" he said, willingly giving Cody back the DS, surprising the boy. Noah rolled his eyes. "Are you going to take it or not?"

Cody looked at him, and grabbed it, taking a look at the screen. His jaw dropped. The door in the dungeon he'd been trying so hard to open was now open. He looked at Noah, who was now walking away. He stood.

"Hey, wait!" he called, running to the boy. Noah turned around, his bored expression still on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"H-How did you do that?" asked Cody, curious as he'd been working on this for at least an hour!

"The torches" he replied. "You're supposed to use your boomerang to move the fire from that torch to this one"

Explaining this, Cody face-palmed himself. He was about to complain and say how stupid that was until he heard a chuckle. He removed his hand and looked at the boy in front of him. He looked like he was holding his laughter in, trying to keep his composure. Cody stared blankly at him for this.

"Why… are you not laughing?" asked Cody. Noah rolled his eyes.

"Cuz your jokes ain't funny" he replied, and Cody looked at him.

"I didn't say a joke" It was Noah's turn to face-palm himself.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go, now" he said, before turning around and walking towards the buffet table, not really liking the boy's presence anymore.

Cody looked after him blankly before Noah lifted his hand to give a short simple wave, not turning around to look at him.

"If you need help, just ask" said Noah, with surprisingly no sarcasm or malice.

Cody watched him for a moment, then looked back at his game again. He smiled a little, as he never really had anyone to talk to since everyone else at the Playa was doing their own thing. Maybe he'd take up on Noah's offer, and hang around a little… He would probably ask for help more often than Noah believed.

And maybe… Just maybe… He'd get a friend out of it…

Cody couldn't exactly place the exact time in which he thought he began to realize his feelings for Noah. It was probably when the contestants were leaving for home and Noah had been taking a different boat from Cody. It bothered him that Noah would be so far away when they grew to be close friends in such a short time. So, that's when he asked Noah for his e-mail address and that's how he started e-mailing him!

He suddenly remembered DJ was talking to him and looked to see DJ waving his hand in front of his face again. He snapped out of it.

"Oh, OH! Um…" started Cody, scratching the back of his head. "Well, flowers? I think that's awesome, man! You should do it!"

At this DJ frowned.

"Well, see, the thing is that…" started DJ, fidgeting in nervousness. "I'm… not sure I got the guts"

"Aw, come on, dude!" said Cody, patting his back. "You've faced bears, horrible food, snakes, you've pushed a bunch of canoes with people on it through a lake- there's NOTHING you can't do, man!"

DJ looked at him uncertainly, and an idea popped up in Cody's head!

"Dude, I got an idea!" said Cody, and DJ looked at him. "If you give flowers to Katie, I'll give flowers to Noah!"

DJ stared at him.

"Uh, I guess that'd be okay… At least I wouldn't be the only one" said DJ. "But I'm still not sure…"

"Hey, I bet ya she'll LOVE them, dude! Girls like ANYTHING they get from a guy! Trust me!" said Cody, and DJ smiled.

"Alright, then! I'll give Katie roses, then you give some to Noah, right?" asked DJ for reassurance.

"Right! Nothing can go wrong with this!" said Cody.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

DJ: "Why do I feel like him saying that just made things worse?"

**Cody**: "Look, DJ's a really cool guy! I can't see WHY Katie wouldn't like him! And Noah's bound to be… Well, actually, I'm not so sure about that anymore, but… Yeah! I promised DJ, so I'll do it!"

**Katie**: "Oh my gosh, DJ and Cody are so weird sometimes!"  
**Sadie**: "Really? I totally think DJ is a sweetheart!"  
**Katie**: "You think so?"  
**Sadie**: "Totally!"  
**Katie**: "Hmm…"

* * *

The two of them stood outside of a room on the third floor of the five star building, outside of Katie and Sadie's door, DJ holding a couple of flowers. Roses, to be exact. DJ gulped as he walked towards the door, holding his fist up to knock, but Cody suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, where'd you get the roses anyway?" he asked, and DJ paused.

"Oh, well, uh… Bunny found a rose bush by the pool area" said DJ, and Cody shrugged. They stood there as DJ walked up to the door and knocked lightly.

Cody gulped as DJ knocked again, shutting his eyes tightly, not wanting to see Katie's appalled or rejecting expression. His heart sank as he refused to open his eyes as he heard the door open. He wasn't able to notice Cody's face drop in horror.

"Hey, um…" started DJ, not noticing Cody's opposing expression. "I just… wanted to give these to you!"

He held them out and kept his eyes shut as he felt two rough hands taking hold of the roses. Cody face palmed himself as the girl in front of them cleared her throat.

"I hate roses"

Hearing the gruffness of the voice, DJ's eyes host open and looked to see who was standing in front of them, and like Cody before, his face dropped in horror as well.

"EVA! Yo, gurl, um!" started DJ, panicking at this sudden setback. Eva was bored right now, and wasn't really in the mood for stupid excuses.

"Look, just shut up and give these to Katie and get out of my doorway" said Eva simply, slamming the door behind her. DJ looked at Cody.

"Well, that was… awkward…" said Cody.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Eva: "Seriously, if there is ANYONE worse than Cody when it comes to Valentine's Day, it's DJ. He was lucky cuz if I wasn't in the middle of my anger management meeting- paid for by Chris- I would've killed them both right then and there!"

**DJ**: "Dude, that was SCARY!! I knew Eva was nuts, but when faced against her that girl can look as psycho as Izzy!"

**Cody**: "Hmm… I wonder if DJ left anymore roses on that rosebush?"

**Chef**: "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ROSEBUSH!? Whoever did that to my bush is gonna be tomorrow's BREAKFAST!!"

* * *

"Okay, dude, I'm SURE that this her and Sadie's room!" said DJ, standing in front of another doorway.

"How do you not know where her room is? You're on the same floor!" said Cody.

"Look, I'm NERVOUS, okay?" snapped DJ, straightening up, trying to calm down. He knocked again, making sure to keep his eyes open this time.

And Katie opened the door. However, to DJ and Cody, it seemed completely slow motion and when Katie had shown her face to be the one opening the door, the two of them sighed in relief. She looked at the both of them in question, and her attention turned to the roses. Suddenly, DJ couldn't move. He was frozen. Cody noticed this, and snapped in front of his face a couple of times to get him out of his paralyzed state.

"Hey… guys…? What's up?" asked Katie.

"Oh, well, uh…." started Cody, somehow feeling déjà vu. "Um, my buddy DJ here has a gift for you, Katie!"

He purposely specified that Katie was the on the gift was for, not wanting a mix-up to make her believe that the gift was actually for Sadie. He smiled as Katie's eyes widened in shock as she turned to DJ, who was still frozen. She looked at him for a while, then at the roses, and a smile bloomed on her face, along with a blush, and she took the roses gently from DJ's hands, snapping him out of the paralyzed state. He looked at her.

"Thank you!" she said, sincerely and innocently. He stared for a few minutes before smiling, as well.

"Heh, no prob!" he said, smiling. Knowing that the moment would get awkward, Cody stepped in.

"Okay, DJ! We've got to go! Um, remember that, uh, thing we needed to do?" he asked, before attempting to push the guy towards the elevator.

"H-Huh? Uh, oh yeah!" he said, before looking back at Katie. He waved quickly before following Cody into the elevator.

"KATIE! Who is it?" asked Sadie, coming to the door and noticing the flowers. She gasped. "Oh my gosh! Details! DETAILS!"

And Katie smiled wider as DJ gave her one last glance before the elevator doors closed.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Sadie: "Oh, my GOSH!! I CAN'T believe DJ gave you those! I'm, like, SOOOO jealous, now!"  
**Katie**: "I can't believe it, either, but it happened! It really happened!"  
**Sadie**: "Ooooooh! Katie's getting a BOYFRIEND!!"  
**Katie**: "What? No! I bet he's just… um!" *Blush*  
**Sadie**: "EEEEEEEEE!!"

**DJ**: "I can't believe it… I actually DID IT!"

**Cody**: "Alright, now it's MY turn! There's no way… Um… Well, we'll just see!"

* * *

Noah was sitting in his room, Trent being outside with Gwen and all, he had the room to himself. It was one of the few moments he had to himself while Cody was busy doing something with DJ, and he wasn't going to spoil it outside where someone like Izzy could bother him.

Unfortunately for him, however, he was stuck reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer since he couldn't find any of his other books for some reason…

Then he heard it. The sound that could only bring dread to him had he answered it… _The door being knocked on_… He held in his irritated sigh, hoping that whoever it was outside would just assume he wasn't in the room and leave… But of course, with his luck, it didn't work. He cursed softly as he stood from his bed and walked to the door, gripping the handle tightly after looking through the peep hole.

…Cody…

"Hey there, Noah!" said Cody, cheerfully, standing next to DJ and hiding the roses behind him and out of Noah's vision. Noah looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" he asked, SOMEWHAT nicely. Sure, Cody irritated him recently, but there was no reason for him to be a COMPLETE jerk to him as of now…

"Well… I wanted to give you something!" he said, and Noah rolled his eyes.

"There's a shock" he muttered, turning away from him. Cody smiled cheerfully.

"Close your eyes!" said Cody, and Noah held his hand up while his eyes narrowed.

"Hold it, there, Big Boy! There is NO way you're fooling me with such an obvious trick!" said Noah. "My lips touch NO ONE!" Cody flushed red and his eyes widened.

"NO! No no no no!" said Cody, shaking his head in defense. "I just wanted to give you an ACTUAL gift! Come on, Noah, please!?"

Noah immediately headed back for his room, about to slam the door when DJ piped up.

"Aw, come on, dude! It's nothing dangerous" DJ said, defending his friend who helped him with Katie. Noah looked back suspiciously at both of them. He smirked.

"Unfortunately, boys, I'm very prideful in my cautiousness, as its gotten me out of MANY situations!" said Noah, and DJ chuckled.

"Right, just like it did when you fell asleep next to Cody and kissed him on the ear the next morning" replied DJ, smirking just as widely as Noah was, which had become a frown in seconds.

"One, if I recall- I FELL ASLEEP FIRST!" said Noah with clenched teeth. "Second, he fell asleep next to me, and third- I DIDN'T KISS HIM!" DJ rolled his eyes.

"Look, it's just a little gift, and we'll be on our way. Come on, can't you just take it?"

Noah scowled at the both of them, not liking the look on either of their faces and somehow thinking that this was some kind of prank. Not that it'd be the first time that DJ pulled pranks. He'd seen the episode in which he, Duncan, and Geoff had all been in on that little harassment segment with Harold (Not that it wasn't entertaining to watch). Cody spoke.

"Come on, Noah. Just this once!" said Cody, and Noah sighed heavily.

"Fine, FINE! Just shut it already!" replied Noah, closing his eyes and holding his hands out.

For some reason, when Noah held his hands out, he braced himself for pain. Like he knew that some kind of hit was coming, but… It didn't. Instead, he felt something else. Something light in his hands… Wrapped in paper? And wet? What the hell could have Cody given him!? Feeling them starting to fall, he pulled them closer to him.

"Okay, now open!" said Cody, and he did…

…And his eyes widened in horror…

_Roses_

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Cody: "Okay, I'm IN! There was no way he couldn't have liked them, they're beautiful!"

* * *

"CODY!!" shouted Noah, throwing them back at the tech-geek, surprising both him and DJ. Noah looked at his hands and panicked. They were red.

"Wha- Noah, what're you-" started Cody, and looked at Noah again. "NOAH!?"

Noah's breathing was getting raspy, and he held his neck as if trying really hard to breathe. He started itching, and scratched his hands and face. He ran back inside his room, not bothering to close the door. He searched furiously through his bag, his breaths getting worse. Finally finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a needle and sat down, looking at his thigh. Holding his breath and closing his eyes, he stabbed the needle into his leg, wincing at the sudden pinch.

Cody and DJ were watching this in horror. DJ bringing his hands up to his face as he realized what was going on. Cody had been shocked and completely guilt-ridden.

"Oh my- He's allergic to _roses_!" shouted DJ, noticing Noah starting to pass out. "Cody, get-"

But before he could say anything, Cody had sped into the room, catching Noah as he passed out. Without any hesitation, he hoisted Noah on his back… Well, almost. Noah's arms were pulled around Cody's neck while Cody held them, and he began dragging Noah.

"Get Chris!" he shouted, pulling the unconscious Noah carefully.

DJ nodded, running to the elevator as Cody tried pulling Noah some more. Already knowing that Noah had taken his medication, he knew that Noah would be find with a little rest, but he had to get Noah away from the roses in order to keep that going. He kicked them out of the way and walked towards his room. He knew he could've just left Noah in his and Trent's room, but he didn't want to have to leave Noah in order to get rid of the roses in case something happened.

It took a while, but eventually, Cody was able to get Noah to his room and bed, placing him there softly. He looked at Noah worriedly, seeing no reactions from the unconscious know-it-all. He placed his head in his hands, groaning guiltily. How could he have been so stupid? His chances with Noah HAD to be down the drain now…

Roses. Of all things Noah could've been allergic to it had to be roses… He felt like such an idiot. What was he THINKING!? How could he think Noah could have EVER been into a guy like him? What was there that Cody had Noah would fall for? Nothing he could think of, really, and when Cody thought about it…

All of his attempts only made Noah hate him more… He sighed, putting his head back in his hands again. It felt like hours… What was taking DJ so long? He couldn't stand being near a guy he cared about, yet almost killed! This was KILLING him! And Noah hadn't even woken up, yet!

"…Are you done hating yourself already?"

Cody jumped, turning towards the door to see Chris, along with Gwen, Trent, and DJ. Gwen and Trent ran over to Noah to check for any injuries. So far, it seemed minor, other than the rash on his hands and face, or the swelling Noah seemed to have grown. DJ patted him on the shoulder as they watched Noah sleep. Chris looked at him before shrugging.

"Well, he seems to have taken his medicine from the puncture wound here… He'll be fine!" said Chris, walking out of the room. Everyone looked at each other before looking back at Noah.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

DJ: "Man, that was actually pretty scary! I hope the dude's alright!"

**Cody**: "Aw, man… I screwed up big time…"

**Trent**: "Dude, I'm not so sure about Cody's chances anymore… He nearly got the guy KILLED!"

**Gwen**: "I would never speak to Cody again if that happened! Although, that allergy to roses IS a bit surprising"

* * *

Hours had passed, and Cody never left Noah's side for a minute… He didn't even eat, knowing that the boy would be by himself, and no one would be watching him had something happened… He didn't want to risk it. He'd already risked his LIFE! Nothing more could've gone wrong…

…Well, not that he'd know, since he fell asleep, his head on the bed next to Noah…

He wasn't able to hear the stirrings of the unconscious know-it-all as he suddenly awoke and looked around slowly, checking his surroundings before doing anything. A habit he'd gained when living in a house of eight siblings that are called the 'AH' Tribe… He sat up slowly, noticing the light brown head of hair unconscious next to his hand.

Feeling his face, he was able to notice that the swelling from the previous events had finally died down, and that the rash was slowly fading from his face. He sighed thankfully, turning to scowl at the body next to him, which had been sitting on a chair with his head buried into his arms on the bedside. However, when he tried, he noticed a curl of his eyebrows, indicating guilt. Not that Noah could disagree, cuz it was his fault that he nearly died.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard two pairs of footsteps walk into the room, and he turned to find DJ and Trent being the owners of them, and he scowled at them.

"Um… You alright?" asked Trent, scratching the back of his head.

"…Peachy…" Noah replied, crossing his arms. They both sighed.

"Look, I didn't even know that they were going to give you roses, man…" said Trent.

"And neither of us were aware that you were allergic to roses" continued DJ. Noah still didn't look any happier to see them, and DJ sighed. "Dude, don't blame Cody… He wouldn't have even given you those roses had he not offered to help me"

"I don't even want an explanation" said Noah. "I'm so sick and tired of having to hear all these things about him that make me somehow feel bad! I'm the one who was nearly KILLED today, I'm the one who keeps getting PESTERED by him, and I'm the one who gets IRRITATED easily, who has a REASON to, who works hard every single day of my ever-loving existence, and this idiot is a VERY HEAVY SLEEPER!"

He turned to Cody, who had still been snoozing while Trent and DJ looked at each other before turning back to Noah.

"So… You DON'T like his company…?" asked Trent, a downhearted look on his face.

"As a matter of fact, I…" started Noah, and paused when he saw Cody's face. "… I…"

Why couldn't he say it? It wasn't hard! He just had to say that he didn't like Cody and this mess would be OVER! OVER!! He just needed to get it OUT!

"… I just…" he said, turning away from them. DJ noticed this, and decided to step in.

"He was worried, you know…" he said, and Noah looked back at him. "He was terrified when you started wheezing… As soon as you started zoning out, he ran to you faster than EVA probably would have, and he carried you here, away from the roses…"

Noah looked at him as he said this with wide eyes, widening with everything he said. Someone was worried about him? It couldn't be… Whenever something like this happened at home, the 'AH' tribe would only laugh at him and poke fun…

But when he looked at Cody, there was just… a sincerity about him that couldn't be denied, no matter what Noah did to try and reason around it. And this was because he knew. Noah knew that was just how Cody was to tell the truth. He was always caring… Straight with people… and worrying about them even when they clearly didn't deserve it…

…Cody was just… Cody… And Noah wanted to hate him for it, but couldn't… He didn't know why, either, because in the past, Cody and him were okay until the Awake-A-Thon, and something changed. In him, in Cody, in everything. Something just changed, and he couldn't exactly place what it was, but it… it scared him…

"Noah, dude…" started Trent. "He really does care about you… As much as I do Gwen, actually… Maybe even more if that's possible…"

"That's the problem…" said Noah, and slapped a hand over his mouth. "How can he try for something when he knows he won't get it?"

What was he doing?

"It's not like he does, Noah" said DJ. Trent nodded. "And even if he did, you think he'd stop? He went after Gwen even though he was aware of her crush on Trent"

"He knows the risks, but he's willing to take them, dude. That's just how much he really cares about a person, and you gotta think- He's going after you a LOT longer than he did Gwen!" said Trent, and Noah sighed.

"But… Doesn't he know about the _other_ risks?" asked Noah, rubbing his temples. "People don't take too kindly to people who are… who are…"

"In love?" asked Trent.

"You KNOW what I mean!" said Noah.

"And what's the problem? Do YOU have a problem with it?" asked DJ. "Sure, it's… weird for some of us, but it's not weird for him!"

"What about the rest of the world who's watching this?" asked Noah, getting irritated.

"What ABOUT them, Noah!?" asked Trent. "What do THEY matter? People have told me I shouldn't be with Gwen because she's different, do you think I care?"

"You guys are different!" protested Noah. "You're both straight!" Words were flying out of his mouth. "You wouldn't have to worry about acceptance by your own family! You wouldn't have to worry about people willing to beat you up wherever you go, and… You wouldn't have to worry about being hurt! He'd be better off chasing _Gwen_ for the rest of his life!"

The two of them were staring with wide eyes at Noah as he said these things. To tell the truth, Neither of them heard Noah say so much to them before, and what he was saying… It sort of caused something to click in the both of them… And Trent suddenly realized something.

"So… You're _worried_ about Cody…?" asked Trent. "Is that why you keep pushing him away…?"

Noah's eyes widened and opened his mouth to protest against this… But nothing was coming out… He couldn't say anything. There was nothing to be said because he didn't know what he was trying to get out anymore. Was what Trent just said true? Maybe he WANTED Cody to forget about him and go for someone else… He looked at Cody with that thought, and his heart clenched tight…

Trent suddenly walked over and sat down on the bed, avoiding waking up Cody. He placed his hand on Noah's shoulder, getting his attention and smiling comfortingly.

"Noah…" started Trent, looking Noah in the eye. "I think for once in the entire time I've known him, Cody knows what he's doing… I think he really wants this, and somehow, somewhere deep down… I think you want it, too"

Noah's eyes couldn't be any wider than they were now, and he turned away form Trent, deeply insulted at the accusation… And yet, not really bothering to fight back anymore. He looked at Cody again, and sighed. He knew what was wrong. Why he couldn't say that he didn't want Cody's company. It wasn't because of Cody, it was all because of himself. He was afraid of what would happen had he actually admitted it. He was only deeply insulted by Trent's accusation because when he really thought about it…

…It was true…

Noah rubbed his temples again, really aggravated at this sudden realization. Trent looked at him, and exchanged a look with DJ. They both stood and walked out of the room, leaving the dark-skinned know-it-all to his thoughts.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Trent: "Man… I never knew Noah would EVER say things like that, but now… I really think that Cody has a chance now, but… It all depends on Noah…"

**DJ**: "I'd really hate to have to see Cody get rejected. Especially since I now know that Noah actually DOES like him a little…"

**Noah**: "… I wish Chris would go to hell for bringing me back here…"

* * *

"Well, there your have it, viewers!" said Chris, standing next to the pool once again. "That's the end of Day 3 for this week! With only three days left before the dreaded Valentine's Day, will Cody PREVAIL in his quest for Noah? I don't know, but things are really starting to GET GOOD!"

He laughed, but the remembered a very serious note.

"Oh, and of course, we all are still wondering- just WHAT is Heather up to? Who knows, because she's been in her room all day, surprisingly, but knowing her, you know it's gonna be devious! Look forward to it, everyone, and stay tuned for the next chapter…

Of VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!"

…TBC…


	5. Harold's Input

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"…Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!" said Chris.

"Yesterday, the campers began to realize that Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and the boys begin to act, FINALLY! In fact, DJ was one of them, and he asked CODY for help because somehow, in a strange turn of events, he's fallen for Katie, and in an even STRANGER turn of events, she MIGHT like him back!"

He turns to Chef, who is looking pretty peeved as he stood next to a destroyed rose bush.

"And… uh…" he started, getting far away so Chef can't hear him. "Yeah, and to bring in some MORE shocking news, Noah's allergic to ROSES! And unfortunately for Cody, that's what he gave him! Heh heh, you'd think Noah would HATE the guy afterwards! And he did! Yet, all of a sudden, a talk with Trent and DJ brings out a different side of him! A side… That may actually LIKE Cody back!"

He now sat on the roof of the refreshment bar.

"Who else will Cody follow in order to get Noah? Will Noah reveal his true feelings? And what about everyone else who's trying to get a date? Will THEY be ready for Valentines Day? Find out now on DAY 4...

…Of VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!"

* * *

Noah walked out into the sun, letting the heat warm his already dark skin as he walked out into the outer area of Playa Des Losers, where the rest of the contestants were either off by themselves or thinking alone about their Valentine's Day gifts. As he looked around, he noticed that the tech-geek who'd been practically stalking him throughout this trip had not been currently present, even though it was about 12:58 in the afternoon…

He decided to take a walk, which surprised even him! But at this point, he needed to. He needed to sort things out through his head, and sitting down or lying down wasn't the best thing for the job. He needed to move, he needed to get out and do something! Anything but staying still, otherwise he'd do nothing but fidget and look stupid.

Okay, first off, yes, it was true that somewhere deep down in him, there was something that attracted Noah to Cody. Not that Noah knew what it was, but it was something! What was it about the annoying, shrimpy, rib-revealing, and persistent tech-geek that could have caught his attention? Nothing! In fact, Noah thought he was pathetic! He was humiliating himself with every attempt he's made, and there has been NO progress whatsoever!

… Or at least, that's what Noah had believed until last night, when Trent and DJ came into Cody and Owen's room to talk to him. When they spoke to him, something happened. Something good? Bad? He didn't know. All he knew was that Cody's horrible attempts were somehow reaching to him without him knowing, and it bothered him.

What if something DID happen between them? Noah was thinking scientifically and logically right now. He had to be cautious. He couldn't just go into something like this without knowing the possibilities of a bad result.

Then again, why should he need to worry? There's only three more days of this horrible week and he'd be free from this show, never to come back to it again! There'd be no reason for him to have to take Cody's offer! He could just say no!

But something stopped him. It was the same something that affected him last night with Trent and DJ, and he had no clue as to what it could have been, but it was still bothering him. A tightening feeling hit his chest, and he couldn't help but place his hand on it, as if that'd help give him the answer.

…But it didn't…

He sighed. He was thinking too much. Maybe the answer was always right in front of him. Just say no. Maybe this whole chest getting tighter thing was just some kind of phase. Maybe he'd get over it, and maybe he'd get over Cody and move on.

What did the wanna-be have to offer him anyway!? He was just another one of these annoying people that he should have never had the pleasure of meeting! It was just another trouble for him! He didn't NEED this! He didn't WANT it! Things were already hard in his life and he didn't need some kind of love issue to get to him, too!

…Love…?

He shook his head. This wasn't happening. This COULDN'T be happening. Why him? Why couldn't someone else take this problem off his hands!? He was getting a headache. Why couldn't someone ELSE be having this problem instead of him? It's not like anyone else here had eight other siblings to deal with everyday when coming home from school! THEY didn't have to deal with trying to be the best they could! THEY didn't have to struggle… Not like him…

…Never like him…

There was no one in this world that could understand. That could even BEGIN to… He'd always been alone. His only friends were Isaiah, his oldest brother, and their dog Jeremiah (Their mother had a problem with the dog, too), who in a way were always there for him. Although Isaiah irritated him sometimes, he was the only one Noah could share his intellect with. However, he had barely been home due to work, and Jeremiah was a DOG! Although dogs are considered man's best friend, all Jeremiah really did was sleep, which bothered the twins greatly as they LOVED playing with him…

But without those two, Noah didn't have anyone. Because of his life growing up, he was always a little harsh towards those who tried befriending him. He always stood one step higher from them, while they laid themselves flat on the ground, staring up at him. Yet… Somehow, he'd gone so high up that no one's remembered he was even there…

That was probably why being bombarded with horrendous flirtations by Cody was so awkward for Noah. It's never happened before. Sure, SOME girls maybe had the teensiest crush on him once or twice, but never have actually stuck around. Some would ask right on the spot and cry when rejected.

But Cody didn't give up. He WOULDN'T give up. And Noah couldn't understand why. Sure, Noah was able to tolerate Cody more than anyone else at some point in their time at Playa Des Losers, and sure, maybe he HAD been friendlier to him than anyone else since… But that does NOT mean that Noah LIKED him! And LOVING him was out of the question!

What was he to do about it, though…? Although he refused to LIKE Cody, he didn't want to ENTIRELY lose him in the little time they had together. He refused to let there be anything more between them, but that didn't mean they couldn't be friends. That they couldn't talk about games together or the classes they took. No, Noah wouldn't give it up. It was too much fun…

He stopped walking for a second and slapped himself in the forehead. He was thinking in CIRCLES, and he didn't even know that was POSSIBLE! He was all the way back to where he was again! First he liked him, then he didn't, and now he DOES again! Just WHAT was Cody DOING to him!? These thoughts were killing him, and the most confusing question of all…

_WHY DID CODY EVEN **LIKE** HIM!?!_

However, his thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly walked into something. Or… More like someone… He looked to see that he'd walked into a skinny red-head with glasses.

"Harold? What're you DOING?" asked Noah, looking to see that the boy was playing his keyboard right next to a trash can.

"Sssh!!" the red-headed nerd replied, putting a finger to his lips for emphasis. "I'm practicing a song for LeShawna, can't you SEE!?"

"Uh… Yeah…" he replied, rolling his eyes and turning to walk away. Then something hit him. Harold liked LeShawna, and he seemed to have been just as persistent about it as Cody…

Maybe Harold could shed some light on Noah's confusion…

"Hey, Harold… Could I talk to you?" asked Noah. Harold blinked.

"You… want to talk to ME?" Harold asked in his usual rasping voice.

"No, I'd like to talk to the trash can" he replied sarcastically. Harold blinked again.

"Ya know, Noah, I don't exactly appreciate the sarcasm" said Harold, and Noah sighed.

"Look, can you just answer my question!?" he said, angrily. This was getting annoying.

"Fine! GOSH!" shouted Harold. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm just wondering why you like LeShawna so much" said Noah, and Harold's eyes widened.

"Are you kidding me? Just LOOK at her!" said Harold, pointing to the large dark-skinned woman across the pool from them who had been chatting with Bridgette and Gwen. "She's beautiful, kind, and strong-willed! She stands up for anyone who deserves it, and her heart is a pure as gold!"

Noah looked at him as he said this. Harold was going way into detail about his love for LeShawna, and somehow, it made him wonder if Cody would react this way if someone were to ask the same about him. Harold was NUTS for LeShawna, and everyone saw it. But no matter how many times she rejected him, Harold just seemed to stand right back up, as if nothing would stop him. Would Cody do the same?

"But… Don't you already know from Total Drama Island? She's not into you" said Noah.

Harold sighed heavily at this.

"Yeah, I know, but still! It's been a LONG time since Total Drama Island!" he said.

"It's been 4 months" noted Noah. "Besides, even it really WERE that long, I highly doubt that would change her mind. Why don't you just give up?"

"Because I LOVE her!" Harold replied. "She's important to me! She's given me a strength that can't be described with words, THAT'S why I won't give up!"

Noah blinked. A strength? Great, Harold's being on poetic on him. However, he stopped and sighed.

"You know, even though she doesn't like me…" he started. "She's still the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in the world…"

"Nothing happened between you two" Noah noted again.

"But still… Having her in my life, seeing her happy, watching her enjoy life, it's all giving me a warm feeling right here… And no, it's NOT a heartburn or something!" said Harold, placing his hand over his heart.

A warm feeling?

"And the thought of something happening to her, or her being taken away from me… It hurts… My heart becomes clenched by the walls of my body! Aching it to the very core…" said Harold. "And NO! It's NOT something wrong with my bones or anything!"

Tight chest…? Like what Noah was feeling earlier? All he was thinking about was never having to see Cody again!… And it happened again. That tight, uncomfortable feeling. It brewed itself into Noah's chest, and he felt with his hand over his heart… He lost his breath…

…What was Cody DOING to him…?

"I can't imagine my life without her…" said Harold, finishing his speech and looking to see Noah holding his chest, looking uncomfortable. "Hey, something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…" started Noah, realizing how he must have looked just now. "Just checking my… pulse, that's all"

"It's better to check your neck or wrist than your heart itself, Noah…" said Harold, and looked at him closely. "Is this about Cody…?"

Noah stayed silent, not wanting to answer the boy's question. However, the silence had said everything to Harold, and he smiled, patting Noah on the back.

"Dude, do you not like him back?" asked Harold, highly curious of this matter.

"It's none of your business!" snapped Noah, making Harold flinch. "It's not like Cody can keep this charade on forever! He's not like you! He'll give up at some point!"

Harold stared at Noah, not believing what the boy was saying. Was he really thinking that Cody would give up? Was he hoping? He squinted at him, trying to read the boy's face. His half-closed and dazed eyes, the frown, the crease in his eyebrows, and the way he held the area over his heart…. Harold's eyes widened in realization.

"…You love Cody…" he said, and Noah looked at him with wide eyes. "You love Cody, but you're afraid of something!"

"I'm not afraid!" replied Noah, narrowing his eyes at the taller nerd's assumptions. "There's no reason to be afraid! Cody's just confused, that's all! He'll figure things out and forget about everything he's done here!"

"So that's it…" said Harold, his look softening at Noah, who raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that!?" Noah snapped.

"You're afraid he'll leave you…" said Harold.

Every thought that had been going through Noah's mind immediately stopped, as though they all suddenly crashed into each other and blew up his brain. With that, new questions began forming in his mind. Was it true? Was Noah really afraid? And of all things… Was it because Cody could leave him…?

"That's why you won't give him a chance" said Harold. "You think that by doing so, you'd be opening up. You'd be setting yourself up for some kind of pain… THAT'S why you refuse to just admit…"

Noah looked at him.

"…That you really do love him…"

And he dropped his head, coming to a conclusion. Yes, he may have loved Cody… But that still didn't get rid of the nagging feeling in his gut that maybe he SHOULD be worried. That something WAS strange about Cody's sudden liking for him, and that maybe if he DID fall entirely for him, he'd get hurt… But was Harold right about it? Was Noah really afraid…? Most importantly…

…He needed to know…

… Does Cody REALLY love him…?

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Harold: "I used to think Noah was always a bit cold, and I once thought I'd be able to get through to him! I even offered to let him borrow my Beaver journals! But… I guess this would be the first time we've ever had a good talk with each other…"

**Geoff**: "Dude, Codester must be getting on his nerves! He's been walking around the pool area staring off into space for, like, ever, man!"

* * *

"Hey, Cody! Get up! It's almost noon!" said Owen, shaking the sleeping boy awake.

Cody groaned in exhaustion and stretched, cracking his back a little before standing to look around the room. Of course, of no surprise, Noah had been gone, and was probably finding the ebst way to keep himself away from the gap-toothed teen as much as possible. He sighed, before going into the bathroom to wash up.

Today was gonna be a long day for him. Noah probably NEVER wanted to speak to him again! Looking in the mirror he stared into his own eyes… And dropped his head in misery at the humiliation of the event. Noah was SURE to hate him now! It wasn't enough that Cody PUKED in front of him, or not he sang a SONG to him, but NOW he nearly KILLED him! This was completely HOPELESS!

"I'm so stupid…" he muttered to himself.

"Yes, you are"

Cody jumped at the voice and turned around quickly. His eyes widened.

"N-Noah?"

He couldn't believe it. The boy of his dreams, whom he nearly killed just yesterday was standing in front of him right now, looking as thought nothing ever happened between them. He gulped nervously before slapping himself. This had to be a dream. There was no way Noah would be coming anywhere NEAR him after what almost happened to him. However, when he looked back at the bathroom door again, Noah was still there, except now he was staring at Cody as if the boy had lost his mind. Realizing this, Cody laughed nervously.

"Heh heh…! Uh, hey Noah!" he said awkwardly.

"…Yeah, uh, are you gonna hurry up and get outside or what?" Noah asked in his usual sarcastic tone. "DJ and Trent sent me in here for you"

"They did?" asked Cody, questionably. Noah rolled his eyes again.

"No, Heather did" he said, sarcasm dripping from his lips as he turned around and walked out of the bathroom, with Cody following behind him.

Cody fidgeted nervously when around the boy, remembering yesterday's events perfectly. The roses, Noah's allergic reaction, and even having to drag the poor boy to his room… He wanted to slap himself on the head and die, but knew he shouldn't… He looked at the back of Noah's head as they left him and Owen's room, and was about to say something, but stopped, not knowing how he could apologize to Noah without sounding totally stupid.

Too bad Noah beat him to it.

"It's alright, you know" said Noah, catching Cody off-guard.

"… Wha?" he asked.

"Yesterday… It's alright. Don't worry about it" said Noah, not looking back at Cody.

"Oh…" he said, realizing what the boy had been getting at, and sighed. Not in relief, but in regret. He should have just said it. Noah shouldn't have forgiven him so quickly without a proper apology…

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Izzy: "Ooooh! I keep hearing rumors about a little surprise that Chris has got for us! Can't wait to see what it is!… Heh heh heh…!"

**Cody**: "So… He's NOT mad about yesterday… But it's STILL not good that he won't look at me in the eye, is it?"

* * *

While Cody was playing a game of volleyball with Tyler, Duncan, and DJ, he couldn't help but take a couple of glances at the dark-skinned boy reading and talking with Eva on the side near the refreshment bar. Somehow, he had to wonder why Noah was so passive on the allergic reaction he had, and how he was even talking to Cody afterwards. It baffled him! Before they met, Noah was always cranky and like Eva, easily annoyed. Yet, instead of strength, Noah used words, and Cody knowing that had to wonder…

Was Noah SICK or something!? What if he had some kind of amnesia thing happen!? No, that couldn't be, he fully remembered and already forgave him for the allergic reaction. What if someone had bullied him into it!? Although he didn't seem like it, and besides-! Noah had his words to protect him from bullies!

So why would Noah have forgiven him so easily…?

He wanted to just go right up to him and ask, but it would probably ruin the… relationship they have now. The question plagued him, and he knew it wouldn't go away…But how was he to find out the truth without being too direct?

"Cody! LOOK OUT!!" Hearing the sudden shout, Cody looked to see what could have been the matter.

…Instead…

**BAM!!**

"CODY!!" he heard Tyler and DJ shout before hitting the ground. He looked around, dazed for a second before feeling the pain of the ball hitting his head. He rubbed the sore spot and groaned at the stinging, opening his eyes more and looking to see worried faces surrounding him. Tyler's, DJ's, Duncan (More bored than worried), Bridgette, LeShawna, Harold, Trent, Gwen…

… Even Noah!

"You conscious?" Noah asked, surprisingly with no sarcasm as he held a hand out to the boy. Cody blinked at him, before taking a hold of his hand as Noah pulled him up. Everyone watched as the two stared at each other, before Noah coughed and looked away. "Alright, then. I'll be going"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

DJ: "Ouch. That's just cold, dawg"

**Geoff**: "Harsh, man! Codester looked demolished!"

**LeShawna**: "That WAS a sweet moment… Until Noah opened his mouth"

* * *

"Dude, TOTALLY not sweet…" said Harold, approaching Cody, who was still rubbing his head.

"Huh…?" asked Cody, confused to the boy's sudden appearance.

"How he just left you like that!" said Harold, more upset because he KNEW Noah liked Cody a lot, and yet wasn't really doing anything about it. Cody sighed.

"I guess it was a little out of nowhere… But it's kinda awkward around him now! How am I gonna tell him without actually… TALKING to him? He's obviously not comfortable in my presence as of yet" he said.

"Well, you could do what I did to get LeShawna at first! I wrote to her!" said Harold.

"But Noah usually criticizes my writing…" noted Cody, knowing that as smart as he was, even HE had a grammar problem when it came to writing anything that SUPPOSED to be worth reading.

"I meant poetry! IDIOT!" shouted Harold, earning a couple of odd looks from the other teens surrounding them. They merely shrugged and turned back to what they were doing, ignoring the two.

"Poetry, Harold?" asked Cody, giving the boy a strange look.

"Look, it works! Trust me! Noah's the kind of guy who LOVES literature, you should know that!" said Harold, watching the boy's face as they thought about it for a second. It was true, Noah DID love literature, and words… Could poetry be the thing that he needs?

"Umm… Okay, I'll try…"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Cody: "I didn't know what to expect from myself when it comes to poetry, but if it'll get me the courage to talk with Noah again, why not? Really, how hard could it be?"

* * *

"This… is KILLING ME!!" shouted Cody, banging his head against the table in his room, which Harold had also been, accompanying the already stressed out teen.

"It's not that hard. Just think about what you're feeling!" said Harold.

"I feel like ripping every piece of paper and breaking every pencil in the world just so I can get out of this ROOM!" shouted Cody, banging his head against the table again. Harold sighed.

"Look, you're here because you want to get your message out to Noah, so just tell him what you want to tell him, Cody!" said Harold. "Don't think. Just write your thoughts. Your feelings…"

Cody sighed as Harold thought of other descriptions to help the poor guy…

"How is Noah making you feel… Compare it to other things! Give it a rhythm! You can DO this, Cody!"

He closed his eyes to relax.

"You're the Codemeister!"

And they both shot open, turning to the blank sheet of paper sitting in front of him. Pushing some bangs out of his eyes, he started writing on the piece of paper, stopping once to show what he'd done so far to his poetic mentor. Harold looked it over for a few seconds… Then nodded, giving him a thumbs up.

"Now we're getting somewhere"

* * *

Noah was sitting on a pool chair, reading his book. Or trying to, at least. He was actually thinking about the past events with him and Cody, along with the talk he had with Harold. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that Harold had been right about him. Maybe Noah WAS afraid of Cody hurting him. Was THAT why he constantly pushed the boy away?

He himself couldn't answer the question… He needed help. More than just Harold. He needed someone who wouldn't speak of their discussion. Someone who didn't want to hear it, but would anyway. Someone who would give him advice not caring for his or Cody's sake…

"Advice? What game are you playing?!"

… Eva…

"Oddly, enough- None…" replied Noah, sighing with frustration as he sat on Izzy's bed. Eva's eyes widened in horror as she noticed this.

"Ugh… You might not wanna sit there…" she said, earning a raised eyebrow.

"Why…?" asked Noah, curious as to why it was so wrong to sit on Izzy's bed when the girl wasn't around.

… Oh, crud, he was on Izzy's bed when she wasn't around! He jumped immediately, checking himself for bugs or anything, and sitting on a nearby chair where he could talk to Eva. He looked at her, clearing his throat, gesturing her to begin.

"To finish this off- Harold's right. You're afraid of Cody hurting you. End of story, get out of here" she said, standing up to get out of the room earning Noah's look of disbelief.

"Wait a minute!" said Noah, standing up to protest against the little advice he was given. She looked at him.

"Look, Noah…I'm your friend, so listen to me when I say this… You love him, he loves you. Stop running from him. You're being more of a wimp than he is, and its embarrassing. Just go for it already so this whole mess just stops and everyone gets their crummy happy-ever-after stuff…"

With that, she said no more.

"And lock up after you're done in here"

…Okay, with THAT she said no more, leaving the bookworm standing in the middle of the room, confused as to what just happened. Yet, somehow, her simple answer seemed to be all he needed. Sitting there for a while, Noah had to contemplate all the moments he's ever had with Cody, and how it was any different from what anyone was like with him…

Cody had always been the first person to approach Noah… The first. Other than that time with the video game at Playa Des Losers, Noah and Cody were always talking because of Cody…

No one else gave him that much thought…

Being part of the Screaming Gophers wasn't much better for him, either, as they had all hated him. They didn't understand. How was he supposed to open up when people always hurt him? Laugh, tease, annoy…

…Humiliate…?

The world was a dangerous place to him, ever since he was born, and he couldn't help believing that it was always going to be the same, no matter where he went or who he talked to. People are people. They were all the same to him. What made him think being on the show was any different? Nice people? Whatever. He learned a long time ago that people who are nice are just as bad. In fact, worse. Those who PRETEND to be nice aren't any better to those who don't. That's what they always were to Noah… Liars…

…But that didn't mean he wasn't going to join in on the game. That's why he became a genius. That's why his grades stood more than anything else. His parents once told him that without good grades, you'll never stand out. Therefore, that's what he did. He made sure to be the best. He made sure people knew of his intelligence, his IQ, his everything that was better than someone else's. Sure, by doing so he came off as a bit of a snobby show off, but that's what gave him the little respect he'd earned from other people.

To him, brains were all that mattered.

… Until they met. Him and Cody. When Noah was around the boy, he lost it. Whatever thoughts had been on the know-it-all's mind would immediately vanish, no traces left behind…

And he knew, it was because of Cody that he felt this way… But did that mean he should give in that easily? He always considered himself to be a cautious soul, and something's telling him to wait. Wait until he was sure…

For now, let that be what he'll do…

"Noah?"

He looked up, finding Izzy standing in front of him, staring at him questionably.

"Oh, um…" started Noah, standing off of the chair. "Sorry. I was talking to Eva. Lost track of time…"

"Thinking about Cody, again?" asked Izzy, and Noah nodded. Normally, Noah wouldn't be so open with these kinds of things, but Izzy was like a sister, along with Eva. She grinned widely, patting him on the back. "So he asked you out, then!?"

Noah jumped at the accusation.

"No! He's just…" started Noah. "I don't know, Izzy… I don't think he's actually serious"

"Noah, darling, you've got to look at what he's done so far!" she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "He sang a song to you, he tried to impress you, and he's given you flowers! That, and he took Owen's advice to eat in front of you- WHICH I THINK WAS TOTALLY SWEET!! And he's given you a marshmallow!"

Noah looked at her at the marshmallow.

"News spreads fast around here, dearie!" she said, patting him again.

"Stop calling me those horrible excuses for nicknames" said Noah.

"Noah, just go sleep on it, at the very least" said Izzy, grasping his shoulders to get him to look her in the eye. "He's really into you, and I don't know why, but you can't see it!"

He dropped his head, looking at the ground again.

"Now get out of here before I tell Eva you broke the lamp!" said Izzy, and Noah stared at her.

"But… I didn't-" started Noah, and Izzy suddenly pushed off a nearby lamp. Noah watched in horror as the delicate household decoration crashed into the ground, breaking into two.

With that, he ran straight out of the room as fast as his legs could take him, Izzy laughing like a maniac once again, bringing out a perfectly good lamp from underneath her bed as she swept up the remaining pieces from the broken one.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Izzy: "I've, like, ALWAYS wanted to try that trick on someone! Who'd have thought Noah would be the first one to fall for it?"

* * *

Noah panted as he leaned against the wall next to his bedroom. Damn that Izzy. She was like a GOOD sister to him, but could pull off being one hell of a BAD one as well! He took a deep breath before grabbing the key to his and Trent's room in his pocket, and opening the doorknob to look at the ground and notice something on the ground.

An envelope.

He sighed. It was from Cody and he knew it. Picking it up, he opened the door and walked in, closing and locking it behind him. The last thing he needed was Trent or someone else just waltzing their way into the room while he tried to read his note from Cody… Sure enough it was from Cody, as his name was written in perfect penmanship (Which he had to believe was practiced for AGES), along with others words…

… It was a poem from Cody…

How cliché, Noah had to think, but in a way, he couldn't keep the anxiety down. He just had to read it. Poems are literature, and Noah LOVE his literature… He sat up on his bed as he read the words quietly in his head…

_In the dark of day, I wait  
Waiting for a sign of hope  
Staring after clouds and rain  
Waiting for the sun to show_

In the night I sigh  
Staring at the stars  
The we're so close  
And yet so far…

When will you come?  
When will you face me?  
I wait patiently  
But you're not ready

How long must I wait?  
How long will you hide?  
Is it fear? Is it pride?  
Let me inside…

I am here for your tears  
I am here for your aide…  
Please, Noah… I love you  
Don't let me stay here

…Just to fade…

Cody

Noah read it over and over… Although the poem wasn't that great to begin with, Noah knew what Cody was saying. And he couldn't blame him. Noah had been a little wishy-washy lately, but he couldn't help it. He just wasn't born open. He couldn't tell Cody why he hesitated, Cody wouldn't understand… Noah needed time… He heard it over and over… but never to his face.

…Because Cody never bothered to try…

* * *

"Wow! I never thought Noah could GET into such a mess, let alone CODY! Seriously, how much could happen after not seeing each other for a few months? A LOT, APPARENTLY!!

Is Noah's hesitation coming to an end? WILL it come to an end?

Will Cody just CONFESS to Noah already!?

What is Heather supposedly UP to?

And WHAT, oh WHAT is the surprise I have for everyone on Valentine's Day?

Stay tuned and find out tomorrow, people! We've just finished Day 4...

…of VALEN-…-TINE…COUNTDOWN!!"


	6. Duncan and Tyler Join the Party!

Disclaimer: Don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"… Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!"

As he said this, Chris stood on the volleyball court with Chef, demonstrating his 'perfect' athletic and flexible skill. However, Chef had apparently been paid to not move at all, as he just stood there when the ball hit the ground. Chris laughed.

"It's now Day 5 and everyone's beginning to get into spirit! Duncan wooing Courtney, Trent writing songs, and Cody writing poems! Speaking of Cody, how is the hunt going? Well, viewers, I can honestly say that things aren't looking very clear for our two nerds! In fact, things have been going back and forth so far, but what does it matter to me? It's given us ratings!"

At this, he walked, leading the camera to look at the front of the Playa as the contestants were beginning to get up for another day of their week together.

"The week is almost over, friends! Soon, the answer will be given! Will they? Will they not? Who knows? You just gotta find out right here! Right now-!

On VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!!"

* * *

Noah sat alone in the room he shared with Trent, reading Cody's poem and plea over and over again. It was really pathetic. Cody was practically begging him to be his boyfriend, and it was just pathetic. As if Noah hadn't thought less of him to begin with.

Well, not true. Noah never thought badly of Cody. It took a lot to reveal the true feelings he held for Cody, but he knows them now. He's always liked Cody just as much as Cody appears to like him. However, just like everything else in his life, he has created a façade to block it out and store it away from the outside world. He pretended to hate Cody. Technically, he just made up reasons to hate him. Some true, many not much, and then the rest were just illogical.

He looked at the poem again.

It was absolutely sad. He chuckled darkly to himself, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. What was he doing? He wasn't even sure. Ever since he'd gotten it, he'd had a feeling of not knowing what to do or where to go. He was lost. He had no ambition whatsoever. This room of emptiness and silence was a haven to him usually, but right now, he wanted to move again.

But he found it wasn't safe.

All he did yesterday was move around and he ran into Harold, who made him feel even worse about what he was doing to Cody, if he was doing anything at all. He was so confused. Everyone's told him different things, and it aggravated him. All he heard over this topic were theories and guesses. No evidence included. Feelings were NOT considered legitimate amongst the constitution, which made it unimportant in Noah's mind of intelligence.

Sure, there was an attraction to Cody. Can't it just end like that? Cut the show? End of story? Sure, a book like that would be criticized like there were no tomorrow with questions and non-closure comments, but even as logical a person as he took pride in being, he just wants the story to end.

He wants this to all be over and done with. Normally, his logic would tell him to just tell Cody that he liked him, too, but didn't want any part of a relationship. Couldn't they just be friends? Acquaintances? Never before seen people?

This was getting nowhere.

Noah came to terms with his feelings. He didn't just like Cody. He loved him. He new all of that, admitted it, too. Was there SUPPOSED to be more than that? He didn't think so. Everything was simple for him, whether it was solving a mathematical equation or fulfilling a prophecy and saving a princess from the clutches of an evil ruler who'd conquered many lands, it was simple for him. This situation wasn't.

Why should he stick around?

… Or…

The simple solution would be to… just admit you he loved him and be with him and live happily ever after. While things were always simple for Noah, this wasn't. There were too many factors, variables, things in the way that could whack him in the face later…

The 'AH' Tribe, his classmates, his friends, his admirers (Those who respected him, nothing more), what would they think of him? What would they DO to him? His family? What would his parents do? He couldn't even predict the consequences of giving into his emotions…

But whenever he was around Cody… There was this happiness he wanted… When Cody was around, on the inside, he was happy, and he didn't realize because he'd been a calculative person before. Still is. When he couldn't calculate the tightness in his chest, or the heat in his cheeks, he just tossed it aside. Everyone told him things, but who was he to listen to others? … No matter how true they were about how he felt…

Trent's voice rang in his head.

_He's a good guy, y' know? He just wanted to drop that off for you and apologize, dude. You gotta admit, not many would have done it_

He did know it. That Cody was different from other guys. He was kind, sweet (as much as the word disgusted Noah), and caring. Everything he'd never been given before, let alone returned. But it could have been a lie. Cody could've been faking this whole time. Maybe Chris and him had formed together an alliance to make a fool of him.

_As soon as you started zoning out, he ran to you faster than EVA probably would have, and he carried you here, away from the roses…_

It was DJ's voice. The day he'd been roses… Cody had apparently carried him to his room to protect him after he'd saved himself from certain death of an allergic reaction… Would someone really do that if they didn't care…? Maybe, maybe not… That doesn't prove Cody's loyalty and ambition!

_He's going after you a LOT longer than he did Gwen!_

Trent's voice again… Yes, he IS a little more persistent then when he had his previous crush on Gwen… What was his point? He's probably just confused…

_I think for once in the entire time I've known him, Cody knows what he's doing…_

What would Trent know!? Trent's in love with a girl! Cody's not! Everyone talks as if they KNOW what it's like being gay! As if THEY'VE been the one getting beaten up and constantly mocked by others that you may or may not respect! He used to respect a few of his brothers, but he'd lost respect for them when they continuously bothered him over the incident with Cody!

He refuses. He refuses to fall into this trap everyone has set up for him. He knows nothing about this situation, why should he play this game? Noah was always confident in his OWN instincts, not anyone else's. Why should he listen to anyone now?

Why should he be pressured into going out with someone? Why can't he just fall in love with someone and do everything on his own? Why's everyone else gotta get involved? His feelings are his own! No one can make him do anything!!

_You're afraid_

… Was Harold right…?

What if he was afraid…? It's new, because Noah was never afraid of anything, other than… well, getting hurt… Physically, at least, but emotionally…? He sighed… How much longer can this go on…? As much as he hated coming to this decision, it seemed to have been the only way to solve anything. Arguing with himself is doing nothing. He wanted to be simple, and get out of the problem already, no matter how it came out.

He needed to tell Cody how he felt.

… But nothing more than that…

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Noah**: "I can't keep running in circles contemplating. I need to move on"

**Beth**: "I don't know if I should be worried, but I think I hear rattling at night. Kinda like the doorknob being shook… But I could be dreaming!"

* * *

"Cody?"

Cody looked at Gwen, who knelt in front of him as he looked into her worried eyes. He sighed. Sitting out on the comfy armchair next to the elevator waiting for Noah to come down was becoming boring, but he couldn't help it. He wanted his answer… He was tired to waiting…

Sure, he loved Noah, but he was getting frustrated. Noah wouldn't even talk to him. He's been holed up in his room all day, not even eating breakfast or lunch, and it was the afternoon already… Cody couldn't sleep, and knowing Noah, he assumed he didn't get any, either… Gwen cleared her throat.

"He hasn't come down, yet…?" she asked, awkwardly.

"No…" he replied, sighing and changing his position on the chair. Gwen looked at him as she heard Trent walk in. He looked at the two curiously.

"What's up, you two?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. Gwen turned to look at him briefly.

"Know-it-all hasn't come down yet…" she answered, seeing as Cody was getting more and more depressed by the minute. Trent raised an eyebrow, and looked sadly at Cody who had been staring at the ceiling. His expression changed from sympathetic to curiosity, as he knew Noah was all about daily meals and keeping healthy.

"I'm gonna check on him" he said, getting both Gwen and Cody's attention. "He's my roommate after all"

However, just as he said it, the elevator doors opened, revealing the dark-skinned nerd as he carried a book with his usual expression. As Trent was about to check on him, this had been rather strange, considering Noah hasn't looked so calm in a while. Cody's attempts at wooing him usually left stress written all over his face. But right now, nothing!

He walked out of the elevator and nodded at Trent in acknowledgement.

"Hello" he said, giving a friendly smirk. He turned to see Gwen and Cody as well, nodding towards Gwen, but pausing at Cody.

They stared at each other for quite a while. The silence being too awkward that Gwen and Trent didn't dare to move, hoping that something good would happen with Noah's sudden appearance. To answer them, Noah cleared his throat.

"Hey, Cody" he said, waving slightly and giving another friendly smirk. Cody blinked at this, before replying.

"Hey…" he said, trying to read Noah's eyes.

"Wanna talk later?" Noah asked, surprising everyone greatly. However, Cody shook his head to get rid of his surprised expression and composed himself, despite the confusion and shocking turn of events.

"Uh, sure!"

"I'll see you after dinner then" Noah said, nodding before walking outside.

The three had looked at each other, then Gwen and Cody looked at Trent, who's face was just as clueless as their's were. He shrugged, and Cody looked at the outside doors where Noah had just been, trying to comprehend what in the world had just happened.

* * *

What just happened?

Noah's head was spinning. He was going to tell Cody, wasn't he? About his feelings? He told himself he would. Why did he just smile like that? Why did he just walk away? What happened to everything he was thinking about earlier? Where was the simple part of that?

He held his head with irritation and accidentally walked into someone. As he was about to apologize, he looked up to see that it was only Justin, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hello there, Anti-Me" said Noah.

"Hello, Noah. Having a good day?" Justin asked, rather haughtily.

"No, and you're making it worse" he said, brushing pass the handsome hunk before Justin looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, whatever your problem is with me, try a little thing called 'getting over it'" he said, crossing his arms. Noah halted, smelling a little attitude and a hint of a challenge. He turned back at him.

"Oh, thought that up all on your own, didja?" asked Noah, crossing his own arms and glaring at Justin.

"I've got more brains than you think, Noah, and you know it" accused Justin, smirking at the shorter boy.

"Right, if only people recognized it" he remarked. Justin took offense to this, barely showing it. The other residents of the Playa had taken notice of this little showdown, and were watching quietly without either of the two boys knowing.

"At least they'd care, whereas they don't with you" said Justin.

"How would you know? If anyone cares even the tiniest bit about you, it's not because of your intellect" snapped Noah, too irritated to keep his cool anymore. "I know what people here think of you, and it's that you've barely spoken, but you're just 'oh so handsome'"

Justin looked at him with a look as though asking 'And?'

"Even if you are intelligent, what does it matter when all the respect you get is given to you, rather than you earning it? No one respects you because you're smart. Like hell if anyone's even considered it before! They don't care about you, they care about what you look like, which was something YOU didn't cause"

Justin began to frown, trying to think of the ups being him has given him in order to comfort himself and not show weakness to Noah of all people.

"You don't say much, no one knows anything about you, so what are you exactly? I know what you are. You're nothing but a face. You won't be remembered for anything but what you look like. You're a fad that everyone wants to be until the next best thing comes in, and you become history"

Justin glared at Noah, who continued.

"So go ahead. You think you're so smart, using your looks to impress and manipulate people, thinking they all care about and like you and want to be you. They just want something you were given. That's not respect, that's envy. No one cares about you. In years, you'll look old and wrinkled, and you won't have those looks to do your bidding and all the people you've gained because of them will leave. Looks eventually fade, and so will your power on others…"

Noah looked Justin straight in the eye as he said this next part.

"But intelligence is something you practice and gain. You have it, but no one respects you for it because you decide to use to for reasons no one else will approve of. And when those people open up their eyes and see it, you'll grow up to be alone and miserable…"

Noah smirked darkly and bitterly. His frustration was bad before, but telling off Justin was actually making him feel better and taking his mind off of his earlier troubles. By now, Cody, Gwen, and Trent were all outside joining the audience with confused faces.

"No one knows you. They all guess on who you really are. You think I got a problem with you? I do, because you're a disgrace to those who use their intelligence on important matters"

With that, Noah walked pass Justin and was headed into the building before Justin, in a desperate act of redemption, turned to face his retreating back.

"At least my intelligence doesn't hide what I really want!" shouted Justin. Noah paused, eyes widening at the accusation. "I may hide my intelligence behind my appearance, but you also hide yourself- behind the very intelligence you pride yourself on!"

Justin pointed accusingly at him.

"_You're just as much a face as I am!_"

There was an awkward silence ringing through the normally happy carefree atmosphere of Playa Des Losers as Noah bent his head down, looking at the ground, his hand going to his heart.

…A face… Hiding…

He hated to admit it, but… For some reason, Justin's words hit him hard. He was right about Justin, but at the same time, Justin had been right about him… He was a coward. Running from his feelings, from Cody, and from the truth.

What was he doing…?

He had to get himself together. He had to speak with Cody after dinner, and tell Cody the truth… He didn't want to be a face. He wanted to be like the one person he'd come to disrespect and hate the most… But even more so, he didn't want to be like Justin where while things work out now, he'll have no one in his future. The thought tightened his chest.

He wanted someone to be there with him and help him. While he'd normally do things alone, he knew that in the end, he'd need someone, and he'd have wished to have followed his heart when it called to him.

What was it telling him now…?

… Cody…

He knew he loved Cody. He knew what could happen, but Cody did too… Why had he doubted him? He was disappointed in how blind he'd become over his own frustration of not knowing what was happening to him, instead of just letting things happen on their own.

He wasn't gonna run anymore. He knew what he wanted. Why was he denying all these feelings? The world was a harsh place, sure… But when he'd run into Cody at the elevator with Gwen and Trent, the world didn't matter. He looked at Cody's worried eyes, and nothing mattered anymore. Having no worries, except what could have possibly been bothering him, felt good… Free…

Cody made him feel free. Despite all the weird things he's done, Noah couldn't think of a more humorous experience. Nothing more interesting. All those times, he'd been aggravated over things that being around Cody took away. His hyper personality, his cute way of trying to help and be the bigger man, it made Noah feel truly better about himself… His REAL self… Which was a feeling not many were able to give him.

The real world didn't matter anymore, and thinking that to himself shocked Noah, but… he felt better…

He took a deep breath, feeling as he had inhaled for the first time in ages, and turned to Justin, with a smile on his face. A small, barely noticeable, but gentle, grateful smile.

"Thank you"

Of course, he said this in his monotone voice, but with the tiniest hint of joy. Justin, along with everyone else, had been confused and watched as Noah turned and walked back into the building. Although everyone else was confused, Harold sat behind a bush, watching the whole scene, and smiled with relief.

_He gets it… He finally gets it…_

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Gwen**: "… What… just happened?"

**Justin**: "… Did Noah…?"

**Owen**: *_jaw dropped*_

**Courtney**: "Not to sound like Lindsay, but… I'm so confused"

* * *

Cody's head was tossing and turning at the weird events that took place as he sat by the refreshment stand. He'd never seen Noah smile like that… At JUSTIN! Whom he had learned that he hated more than anyone! He even THANKED him! Noah never thanked Cody! And he seemed to have enjoyed Noah's company more than Justin!

… Then a thought struck Cody…

"Oh no…" he muttered, eyes widening. "What if he…?"

That was the first time Noah ever smiled in front of anyone. Or at least, that's the first time Cody himself had ever seen Noah smile at a person other than Izzy or Eva, but those were more like smirks of sarcastic humor…

… What if…?

Suddenly, to throw him off his train of thought, water had been splashed on him and he coughed, breathing in a little. He looked up to find Duncan glaring daggers at him, causing Cody to shrink in fear at the delinquent's gaze. He coughed, speaking in his normal intimidating troublemaker voice.

"You've been staring at me for hours. What? Got a problem?" barked Duncan, and Cody blinked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I don't…" said Cody, leaning his head on the counter. Duncan, raising his eyebrow, decided to ask, despite his gut telling him he'd regret it.

"What's up? You not getting any with Bookworm?" asked Duncan, tasting something nasty at the sound of it. Cody jumped at that, disturbed at Duncan's open nature.

"W-What?! No! That's not it!" Cody stuttered defensively. Duncan rolled his eyes.

"What's the problem, then? Don't make me beat it out of you, geek" he threatened, and Cody, easily intimidated by Duncan, didn't hesitate to cringe and speak his mind.

"!!" Cody answered quickly, and Duncan gave him a look, but then thought about the earlier events of that day.

"Hmm… And…?" asked Duncan. Cody gaped at him.

"What? What do you mean 'And'? If Noah starts liking JUSTIN 'McHOTTY', then there's no way that I'll get him to fall for ME!" said Cody, lying his head on the counter of the refreshment stand in depression. Duncan flicked his ear. "OWW!"

"Grow some guts, dude. Be a MAN" Duncan barked. "You making all these attempts on him is driving the guy crazy, even when he already likes you back"

Cody's mind came to a complete stop right then and there. He looked at Duncan as though he was heaven answering his prayer (Which caused Duncan to back away a bit), and finally spoke again.

"…What?" Cody asked.

"You're totally trippin over nothing. The dude's already into you. Almost EVERYONE knows this" said Duncan, and Cody's brain nearly exploded at the shocking jolt of the news, but then he sighed again.

"Oh, what does it matter…? He's totally into Justin now…" said Cody, and Duncan thought this was getting really stupid.

"Look, this isn't rocket science-"

"If it were, though, that'd be prodigious-!" Interrupted Cody.

"AHEM!" barked Duncan, getting the nerd's attention. "Look, if Noah was already into you, get him back"

Cody sighed. "But every time I try something he just goes back to hating me again…"

Duncan smirked. "Yeah, but that's what the dude WANTS you to think"

Cody blanked out on that one sentence, and Duncan sighed. He STILL didn't know why he was bothering to help this guy out. However, in the spirit of Valentine's week, he felt he should at least share his bit of knowledge with the poor soul. Help a brotha out and all.

"Ever heard the saying 'girls play hard to get'?" asked Duncan, and Cody nodded, but with a doubtful look. "Now, Noah may not be a girl, but he's sure acting like one right now"

"So…?" Cody asked, a little hope in his eyes. Duncan smirked.

"The only way to get the guy in your arms is to make HIM come to YOU" Duncan advised, poking the boy in the nose. "By making him _jealous_"

"Jealous?" asked Cody. "Sounds kinda like a girl thing…"

"Hey, that's because the girls think guys get more jealous then they do, when THEY'RE the ones that are always getting possessive over us!" he said, smirking as he winked at Courtney, who rolled her eyes and continued her chat with Bridgette.

"That… makes sense…" said Cody, nodding in a sort of understanding.

"Good, now let's move on. See, YOU'RE getting jealous over him because of Justin. Get those thoughts out of your head. Your objective is to get HIM jealous over YOU" advised Duncan. "You need to 'show off' how someone is totally into you, but discreetly"

Cody nodded.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Cody**: "Showing off? I know the PERFECT person to help me on showing off!"

**Bridgette**: "I saw Duncan talking with Cody… This could get ugly"

* * *

"Cody, dude, you came to the right guy!"

Tyler.

"Showing off is all about confidence! Proving to others you got something they don't! You gotta show them what you got, and make SURE that they know it!" Tyler said, throwing a basketball towards the hoop, but missing.

Cody and Tyler blinked. He picked up another ball.

"Ahem" he said, shooting again. The ball didn't even reach the hoop. He grabbed another. Then another. And another, and another, and another, and sooner or later, the entire basketball court was covered in basketballs, nearly trapping them. Tyler panted heavily, while Cody waited for him to tell him more. He took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Alrighty, then… Duncan told you to make Noah jealous, right?" asked Tyler, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah…" replied Cody, looking at the basketballs and growing doubtful in his decision of getting advice from Tyler.

"Well, then here's what you should do…" started Tyler.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Tyler**: "Cody's got some serious skill! He can do this no problem~"

**Cody**: "Tyler's one of my best friends! I trust his advice!"

**Heather**: "I'm just waiting for one of these losers to make a big fool of themselves like they always do. This place is getting boring and I'm tired of hearing everything being about that know-it-all and his geeky boyfriend! There ARE other people in this resort, you know!!"

* * *

It was after dinner, and Noah waited outside by the refreshment stand for Cody to show up. The area was empty due to everyone taking baths or watching TV in their rooms. Truthfully, even though he knew Cody already liked him, he was still rather nervous. How was he gonna tell Cody? What would he say? What was he gonna do if he had a slip up?

Normally, he'd be cool over this, but he… never told anyone how he truly felt before… And he was openly freaking out inside. In addition, he'd also been nervous about past events. Cody had tried so hard to impress Noah, and after all the things Noah's done and said to him, he felt… a little bad…

After all the things Noah thought about him. How pathetic he was, how he blamed everything on him… It was unfair, and immature of Noah, as much as he HATED realizing his flaws… But this time… All he worried about was whether or not Cody would forgive him for it…

He'd been upset. He'd been angry. He had wished for the boy to disappear, despite the painful tightness in his chest. And now, he had the chance to make up for it by just accepting Cody's offer. Not because he was being pressured into it, but because he wanted to…

Was that what bothered him?

Everyone kept telling him to give Cody a chance. While he wanted to, anyway, he never liked being told what to do. That was a part of him not caused by childhood troubles. He just knew. He was usually right, and there were rarely times where he was wrong. But this, he knew he didn't want to feel like it was forced upon him. He'd had his fair share of experiences where events or happenings were forced on him, and they never worked out. At all.

… Maybe… What really made Noah push Cody away was that he didn't want to see this relationship with Cody turn to ruins like other situations he was forced into… He wanted to be with Cody, but when he chose to. This was a situation that revolved around the two of them and no one else. It was nice of everyone to help, that was fair, but he didn't ask for them to tell him that he SHOULD give Cody a chance.

He knew very well a nice guy like Cody deserved a chance. He didn't need to be told. He knew. He was smart, and wasn't stupid. Cody was everything he wanted since childhood. Someone to understand. Someone to be there when he needed him. A friend who didn't care about the world.

… It was funny… Noah usually hated listening to what others said, but he always gave in to the people to said homosexuality was wrong and disgusting… Why'd he listen to them now? When he had what he always wanted in the palm of his hand…?

A couple of footsteps startled him, and he turned to see Cody sitting next to him at the refreshment stand. He had to hold back his smile of relief and joy as Cody gave him a smirk.

… A smirk…?

"Hey, Noah, what's up?" he said, a different tone in his voice then usual. Noah looked at him with confusion as the boy ran a hand through his hair.

"Umm… Cody…?" Noah said, looking at the boy to see if he was seeing things.

"Yeah?" asked Cody, raising his eyebrow as he smirked at Noah. Noah immediately thought he was losing it.

"Are you… sane…?" he asked. Normally, he wouldn't care, but it was Cody after all. Cody just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, what's up with you? You okay?" he asked, not letting Noah answer. "Heh, it was a funny story. You know Beth?"

Noah didn't bother to answer.

"Yeah, well, she was total diggin me today. Yep, ALL over me" he said, emphasis dripping out of his mouth on the 'all over him' part. "You remember when I was voted off Total Drama Island?"

"How could I forget? You were wrapped like a mummy…" Noah muttered. This wasn't… how he planned this to be… What was with Cody?

"Yeah, when she kissed me on the cheek before I left?" he asked, haughtily. Noah narrowed his eyes at the memory. However, it didn't bother him as much as the way Cody was acting right now. It was really rude and annoying. Kind of like Duncan…

"Yes, I do…" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah… She was totally hypnotized by my awesome skills, hmm? Kinda like you, huh?" he asked Noah, who raised an eyebrow, offended by his rude behavior.

"… What's wrong with you…?" he dared to ask, and Cody laughed.

"What? Am I lying? I've seen the way you look at me nowadays Noah. My eyes don't lie-" Cody started, but Noah interrupted him.

"No, stop. I'm talking about this" Noah said, gesturing to Cody. "What is THAT? Why are you acting like… someone ELSE?"

"Don't like? Too bad, man… This is how I am" said Cody, smirking. Noah wasn't convinced.

"No… The Cody I knew liked videogames, school…" started Noah.

"Well, that Cody was a loser. It's a total façade. Of course I'm gonna pretend to be that way! I need to get other's attention's down. Make them comfortable around me" Cody said. "THIS… is how I really am…"

Noah didn't want to believe it. Cody, the guy he fell in love with without even knowing, the guy who did so many buffoon attempts at getting him to go out with him was really this insensitive jerk? His clothes were the same. He still looked like a dork! What was he doing?

"And you, my little bookworm, are pretty dang fiiine" he said leaning in close to Noah, who backed away from him.

"Wha- CODY!!" shouted Noah, punching Cody in the face, who looked offended and confused as Noah panted in panic. "What the hell's wrong with you!?"

"Noah?" he asked.

"So THIS is how you really are? So what? Everything I've learned about you before was a lie?" Noah snapped. Cody just stared speechlessly. "Does that mean all those times you've humiliated me in front of everyone else was ALSO fake? What? As if I wasn't humiliated enough at Total Drama Island?"

"No…" said Cody. Noah was disgusted. He couldn't believe this. Cody, the guy he'd become friends with, the guy he'd fallen for, the guy he trusted and was hoping to be with wasn't even real…

Like him and Justin, he was also… Just a face…

"I was humiliated on TV before, and I've been humiliated now, but at the very least I thought it wouldn't matter cuz I thought you loved me and I loved you…" he said, and Cody's eyes widened. Noah shook with anger and had never felt so stupid. He didn't want to believe that this was Cody, but… He was so convincing… Compared to the dorky, sweet Cody he knew before…

"I _loved_ you…" he said, still shaking. Cody reached out to him, but Noah smacked his hand away.

" And I thought you loved me… But I guess… that was a lie, too!!" he spat, pushing Cody off of his stool and into the pool water around them. Without checking to see Cody come back up, he walked out of the refreshment stand and headed straight towards the building.

Cody came up for air and looked around for Noah, seeing him walking away.

"Noah, WAIT!!" he called out, but Noah didn't reply. He kept walking, straight into the elevator.

Neither noticed that the whole scene was witnessed by a pair of small brown eyes so dark they were almost black. The figure watching them was also female and very thin, watching as Noah walked in with fury, and Cody staring off after him as though asking himself what he had done…

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Cody**: "… Did I… What did I do…? Duncan helped me act confident and Tyler… gave me something to be confident about… Noah loved me…" _*runs his hands through his hair and sighs*_

**Trent**: "I don't like this. Noah stormed into the room just now and slammed the bathroom door when going to take a bath…"

**LeShawna**: "Was someone in the pool? I swear I just heard some splashing going on outside"

**Noah**: "I hate being lied to… What was I thinking…? Letting myself grow so weak like that…"

**Owen**: "Cody came back into the room all wet and exhausted. Bet he and Noah finally got something going on~" _*He giggled*_ "Go Cody~…!"

* * *

"… Wow… Things have gotten really shaky between Noah and Cody" said Chris, walking in front of the camera, looking at the window that lead to Noah and Trent's room.

"But that concludes Day 5 of Valentine Countdown! Tune in next time to learn the answers! What happens to Noah and Cody now? With one more day before Valentine's Day, things are looking WET for them!"

Chef rolled his eyes at the horrible joke while Chris chuckled a little.

"Who was it that witnessed their argument?

Will there be a happy ever after?

And what is in store for our contestants tomorrow? The last day?

Stay tuned and find out next time…

… On VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!!"

...TBC...


	7. Ezekiel and Heather Save The Day?

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama Island

* * *

"… Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!"

Chris said as he walked to the side of the camera to show the Playa as he coughed to clear his throat. Chef rolled his eyes as he continued to speak.

"We have gone through 5 days of this one week reunion! And the ratings have gone off the scale! Over what? Our little know-it-all Noah, and the little tech-geek Cody! However, they weren't the only reason for this show's awesome ratings! New couples have been blooming all over the place, and drama has been leaking out of every corner!

In the last episode of Valentine Countdown, things were cooling off between Cody and Noah. Well, so it seemed, until Noah had a little knowledge showdown with Justin! Huh, wish there were a fight, but I wouldn't want Justin's face being ruined. However, it's because of the odd outcome (Noah THANKING Justin for some unknown reason) that causes some doubt to cloud Cody's mind. He ACTUALLY thought NOAH was starting to have a crush on JUSTIN!!"

At this, both Chris and Chef burst with laughter. They couldn't help it. The very thought of Noah and Justin was too much for words. They composed themselves quickly and continued.

"In his self-consciousness, he decided to take help from both Duncan and Tyler, helping him feign coolness and confidence in attempt to make Noah jealous. Unfortunately, the plan didn't go to well, especially since Noah apparently wanted to tell Cody his feelings anyway! Burn, Cody! Real burn!! With Noah practically on the verge of exploding, what's gonna happen now?"

"Heh heh heh…" sniggered Chef, looking at the contents of a video camera.

"Even Chef can't get enough of the humorous goodness here! He's taking a peek at the last couple of days and he's excited to see what the ending results are of this show! As are you all! Who get's with who? Who's STILL with who? And who will STAY with who!? Find out on the 6th day-

… Of VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent:** "Noah's still sleeping, but while he does so, I'm gonna talk to Cody. Something happened alright. Noah didn't speak a word to me last night. No matter what I did!"

**Noah**: "He-Who-I-Refuse-To-Name was a good actor, I'll give him that. I can't trust anyone anymore… Not even Trent, which is a shame. He, of all people, seemed to have really understood me…"

**Ezekiel**: "What has been going on around here, eh? Noah was a friend of mine since Total Drama Island. What's been eating him lately? I'm out of the loop, eh, granted I've been with Lindsay and Beth a lot lately…"

**DJ**: "Something's wrong, dude. Bunny can sense it. He's shivering like a snake!" _*Bunny squeaks and hides*_ "Oh, sorry, Bunny!"

* * *

Noah sat down in a pool chair outside, reading his book just as he usually did when he needed to be away from the world. And now, he felt he wanted to disappear from the world altogether. He didn't know what it was, but only one word came to mind: depression. Not that he hadn't been depressed before, he usually grew out of it without any drastic measures being taken. But for some reason, it seemed to have been taking longer…

He was angry.

No, he was furious. At 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name', at Justin, Chris, Chef… And himself…

Justin because he's Justin, and because their fight the previous day was what caused Noah to grow the guts to tell Cody his feelings… At Chris for bringing them back to this place together, knowing how much they all despised each other (Him, Heather, and Eva, anyway. Everyone else seemed on good terms). And Chef. For cooking horrible excuses for 'food' while he suffered through this hell.

And at himself for being so foolish.

How could he have come to trust him? Them? How…? Wasn't his barrier strong enough? He was always pushing people away from him. What changed? Nothing. That was his conclusion. He just became weak again. The world around him was still cruel and made of lies. He hated it. He let himself slip and fall to break and crumble, and now he'll only get stepped on when he goes home to those horrible people he called 'family'.

What did he ever do to deserve what he got? His family was horrible, his friends were horrible, and he tried everyday to earn respect (which school-wise, he did), and yet everything turned his life to hell. He tried to ignore it. He pushed it all aside every time. Yet still, his life hadn't changed. How were some people able to be happy and yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't? People just couldn't leave him alone or be nice to him.

That's why he was the way he was. It was because like others, his life sucked, but it never showed any sign of letting up on him like it had so many others…

It was all good until last night… At the very least, life had been… bearable…

How could he have fallen for such a cheap trick? How could Co- er- 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name' trick him with a false personality? It was so unsettling… He prided himself on his perception. What went wrong…?

And worse, all those friendships he'd been beginning to make: Trent, DJ, and even Harold to an extent… And those he'd already had: Izzy, Eva, and Ezekiel… What could he do? How could he trust anyone? _Anyone_…?

He sighed. He was really close with Izzy, Eva, and Ezekiel… More than anyone, actually… Although they were all considered 'strange', they were all good people at heart. He couldn't imagine any of the three of them being fakers and lying to him… Trent, too… Trent, the first person he'd ever told about his horrible life at home, actually sympathized with him. Not that he was all into pity, but he wanted to think that Trent wasn't throwing pity at him…

He sighed, closing the book and looking up at the sky. It was bright, but the clouds shaded the sun enough for him to look at the nice blue of the sky. He frowned. Blue reminded him of 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name's eyes. He tore them away and sat up, looking around with a blank expression. No one was really doing anything productive.

He couldn't take being around anyone anymore. His anger was building again as he looked at everyone happily enjoying the events of the upcoming Valentine's Day tomorrow. It made him sick. Courtney and Duncan, Geoff and Bridgette, even Katie and DJ. He decided to go back to his room.

Walking back into the building, he didn't realize that a pair of dark, thin eyes were staring at him.

* * *

Trent knocked on Owen and Cody's door. No answer. They were probably still sleeping, but it was an emergency. Noah woke up before him and he needed to talk to Cody before the boy did anything more to mess things up. He knocked harder, and a grumpy groan was heard from the other side of the door, before it opened, causing Trent to jump back a couple feet.

Cody looked awful.

His hair looked mated down and gross, and his clothes looked like they'd been wet, and his skin was pale. Almost as though he'd died and returned. Trent stepped closer, clearing his throat.

"What… Are you okay…?" asked Trent, and Cody stared blankly, as though not hearing him. Trent was about to ask again, but Cody finally spoke.

"It's over"

With that, the door closed again. His voice was so hoarse it sent Trent chills down his spine. Scratching the back of his head, he looked around to see if anyone was watching, and opened the door to see Cody back on his bed, which had been drenched. He walked over to the lifeless boy and grabbed a chair to sit next to him. Something was wrong. This wasn't the Cody he knew. He wanted to know why.

"Did something happen?" Trent asked, concern for the boy clear in his voice. Cody groaned, and he took that as a yes. "Was it Noah?"

No answer. He also took that as a yes.

"What happened?" he asked. "Cody, man, you gotta tell me"

"It doesn't matter" he heard Cody mutter through his pillow. Trent narrowed his eyes.

"Look, man, just talk to me. I'm your friend. Something's bothering you and I want to help" he said.

"I don't want your help" Cody snapped, his head turning to look at Trent. "Every time I ask someone for help, I end up screwing up. I've had enough already. I can't trust myself, or anyone else to help me get a girl OR a guy!"

Trent leaned back, aghast that Cody would speak to someone in such a way. It startled him, and Cody looked so furious.

… And yet, so broken…

"I'm tired of listening to everyone!" he said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "It's only gotten me into trouble…! I really liked Noah!! I LOVED HIM!!"

His eyes were filled with anguish and desperation. Trent was stunned, unable to take his eyes away from Cody's no matter how much he wanted to. There was so much depression in his eyes.

"_BUT NOW NOAH HATES ME AND IT'S OVER!!_"

With that as his final word, he turned away from Trent and faced the wall, curling up into a ball and holding his pillow tight in frustration. Trent was speechless, and Cody's screams of despair only broke him down. Noah hated him…? Why? What happened between them?

Knowing that Cody wouldn't be saying anything more to him, he got up and slowly walked out, closing the door behind him. He knew it. Something DID happen, but what could have been so bad for Noah to HATE him? He had to find out, and Noah was the only one he'd find out from.

As thought on cue, the elevator doors that Trent was headed for had opened, and Noah walked through them holding his book and looking down. He noticed Trent, but said nothing as Trent approached him.

"Noah, I need to talk to you" said Trent, but Noah just walked straight passed him, causing Trent to stare at his retreating back for a couple seconds before following. "Hey, did something happen between you and Cody-?"

**SLAM!!**

Trent stood there, outside his room door stunned. He noticed that Noah had quickly shut the door the minute Cody's name had come up. Was Cody right? Did Noah hate him now?

But why?

Remembering that this was also his room, Trent opened the door and stepped inside, seeing Noah on his bed reading. Noah didn't move or show any indication that someone entered, and Trent walked to him.

"Noah?" he asked. No answer. "Noah, talk to me"

Noah had still refused to answer or even acknowledge that Trent had been there. Getting annoyed, Trent had finally started getting serious.

"Noah, I'm trying to help! The least you could do is help me!" Trent said firmly, and Noah chuckled.

"Ha ha, good one…" he muttered, reading his book still. Trent raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me" snapped Noah. "Cody? Who's that? I don't know anyone of that name"

"The guy living a couple doors down? The guy who's been chasing after you FOREVER? The guy who's crying tears of frustration because he thinks you hate him?" said Trent, trying to get a response out of Noah. He got one, but he didn't like it. Noah started laughing.

"Ha ha, that's good. He's a better actor than I thought!" he said, still refusing to look at Trent. Trent was appalled. His friend was in agony over this person who he thought of as a good guy, but he wasn't even batting an eye.

"What are you talking about?" asked Trent, almost disgusted at Noah's behavior. "Aren't you worried about him?"

"Sorry, I don't act. Not as well as he does anyway" replied Noah, leaning his head on his shoulder to read. Trent was getting REALLY irritated over this.

"WHAT are you talking about!? He's my friend, and your's! Why are you acting so cold!?" started Trent. He was tired of Noah's attitude. "I'm trying to be nice and help you, but you're being a jerk!!"

That hit a nerve. Noah slammed his book shut and stood to take him on, the two of them glaring daggers at each other as he did so.

"If you're so worried why don't YOU do something about it?" Noah snapped angrily. He didn't need to be lectured by someone who was defending a liar. "I don't sympathize with liars, and if you're gonna defend trash like him then YOU'RE no better!! Why should I care if he cries?! I'M the one who was hurt last night!! But THAT doesn't seem to matter to YOU, does it!?"

Trent's eyes widened. NOAH was the one hurt last night? What was going on?

"This is complete crap!! I can't believe you are just as much a faker as HE is!! And I fell into your trap! BOTH OF YOU!!" Noah shouted, fury and rage burning through his veins as he stormed out of the room, throwing his book into the wall with a loud 'BAM!'.

"_YOU CAN ALL GO TO HELL!!_"

And that was the last thing Trent heard. He stood there, speechless once again. What just happened…? He was fighting with Noah, but what over? What was Noah so angry with Cody about? He didn't know…

And now Noah was mad at him, too…

He sighed, rubbing his head, not noticing Beth come by the door to check. She immediately left, and Trent decided to take a nap due to the enormous headache he was growing.

He didn't notice Heather walk passed the open door and look at Trent lying down, stress written all over his face. It was faint, but if one looked close enough, they could almost see a look of regret and guilt. Almost as though she were about to do something. She sighed lightly, before narrowing her eyes. She had to do this. No matter what happened. She had to find it.

Her entire life was at stake here, and she had to pull this plan off.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Beth**: "I heard shouting and yelling… But Noah looked really angry and Trent looked way too upset to talk to at the moment"

**Ezekiel**: "Beth said Noah and Trent were fighting. Noah in a fight? I've never even heard the guy raise his voice, eh!"

**Gwen**: "I heard about the fight Noah and Trent had, and I'm not happy. That know-it-all better watch his step from here on"

**Eva**: "Whatever's going on, better fix itself soon, or I'm gonna fix it myself" _*cracks her knuckles*_ "And you won't like it when I wanna fix something"

* * *

Noah had been downstairs while everyone finally came down for dinner. Trent wasn't around, though. Still upstairs doing who knows what. Not that Noah really cared anymore. Trent was a liar just as much as… 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name'…

Yet, even 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name' had come down from his room, getting attention from Gwen, LeShawna, Katie, and Sadie. He must've worried them so much that they didn't go looking for Trent and figured he'd come down later. He snapped at them all and told them to leave him alone. Noah chuckled on the inside. He wasn't acting like a goody boy anymore at least. Just showing his true colors, which wasn't a bother to Noah at all. He grabbed his plate and found a lonely spot near a couple of bushes in dim light. Sure fit his mood right now…

While it was a little satisfying to see 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name' in pain, he couldn't get this feeling that it hurt him as well…

How could it not? It took a while for Noah to come to terms with his feelings towards him, and now the boy had to push them aside. He hated liars, and what he hated most was that the boy he'd come to love was nothing but a false personality. He hated how he'd so easily fallen for him when he wasn't even real… He sighed, looking around as no one seemed to have noticed him sitting alone in the dark. They were all happy. He hated the sight. It made him feel worse about the events that followed the other day…

He was so tired. Because of his confession to 'He-Who-He Refuses-To-Name' the other day, which was most likely caught on camera, the 'AH' tribe and the rest of the people he knew at home would torture him, despite how he had hated the guy now… His life was slowly turning to shreds now…

It'd been a while since dinner started, and to end the nice meal, a loud shriek echoed through the Playa.

_**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!**_

Almost everyone jumped, as Lindsay came out of the building in a rush and screamed.

"The rooms are ruined!!" she screamed, and everyone's eyes widened. They all went inside to see if what she'd said was true.

Indeed, as dumb as the blonde girl normally was, she wasn't a liar. Every room in the Playa Des Losers was now torn to shreds. Every piece of furniture was out of place and people's clothes were all over the floor. Someone had ransacked everyone's rooms. Everyone on the first floor stayed back to clean up their rooms as the others took the elevator up to their floors, and gasped at the sight. It hadn't been just the first floor. All three floors were a huge mess.

"What in the world…?" Beth breathed out, running into her room.

Noah was shocked. What in the world would cause a person to ruin everyone's room like this? He walked into his room to find Trent asleep on his bed, and his stomach began to boil. He and Trent weren't on good terms anymore, and he looked around to find thing to put away, but…

He looked around and his eyes widened. Their room wasn't even touched. Everything in their room was perfectly fine. Nothing was out of place. Something didn't seem right. However, as he was thinking this, the rest of the contestants had arrived to the top floor to check on their friends, and immediately noticed the mess. Trent had woken up around this time due to the commotion.

"What? Why's your room still in tact!?" shrieked an angered Courtney.

Trent looked at her with a blank expression, and everyone gathered around, checking to see if Courtney had been telling the truth. Indeed, she had been. Eva pointed accusingly at Trent.

"You must've done it! I didn't see you at dinner!" said Eva, angrily. Everyone looked at each other and agreed on it, but Trent, just waking up, had been confused.

"What? What did I do? I was asleep!" Trent replied, defensively.

"Hey, you all KNOW Trent!" Gwen said defensively. "He would never do this!"

"Then who do YOU think did it, goth girl!?" snapped Courtney. Her room was a mess, there may have been belongings missing and she didn't want excuses. She just wanted to know who did it.

"Hey, let's all just take it easy" said DJ. "Maybe this is just some prank Chris is pulling on us to cause drama for the show"

* * *

"Why didn't WE think of that!?" shouted Chris, and Chef shrugged.

* * *

"Then WHY would Noah and Trent's room be all clean and tidy!?" shouted Courtney.

"Yo, Princess, take a chill pill. It's just a little mess" spoke Duncan, smirking at her. However, she was less than pleased with this little remark.

"Little? LITTLE!? Valentine's Day is TOMORROW and it's all ruined!!" said Courtney.

"I don't wanna believe that it was Trent, though… " spoke up Bridgette. Trent was still confused, but he knew that he didn't do anything.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Trent**: "Umm… I'm confused. What happened?"

**LeShawna**: "I refused to believe Trent had something to do with our rooms getting messed up! That boy was sweeter than sweet little Harold…" _*pauses with wide eyes*_ "…You didn't hear that"

* * *

"Hey, I have a thought" said Geoff, and Courtney rolled her eyes. "Gwen is Trent's girlfriend"

Duncan scoffed.

"Thanks for stating the obvious. What's your point?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, why would Trent trash his girlfriend's room? I know I wouldn't do that to Bridgette!" said Geoff, and Bridgette smiled.

"Really?" she asked, looking at him with a blush.

"Of course I wouldn't!" he said, and the leaned in and started making out again. Everyone rolled their eyes by now, but had to admit Geoff had a point. Gwen was Trent's girlfriend, and they couldn't imagine him messing up everyone's rooms if Gwen's was also ruined.

"Then who…?" started Sadie.

"Maybe it was a ghost!!" said Izzy, climbing onto Owen's shoulders. "It's probably a scary ghost that can go through walls and fly and is probably deadly pale with empty eye sockets and dried blood running down his skin and looked as though he hadn't eaten for months! Covered in loads of bugs-!"

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!_"

"What the hell?" Duncan asked, looking at Lindsay. "Why'd you scream?"

Lindsay blinked.

"Huh? That wasn't me!" she said. "That was Odie, Kathie, and Sandy!"

They all looked at Katie and Sadie, who had been holding each other tightly, then at Owen with raised eyebrows. Duncan sniggered, and Courtney shook her head irritably.

"You're scared of ghosts?" asked Duncan to the three of them.

"No!" Katie and Sadie said. "BUGS!!"

Everyone sighed or rolled their eyes. They all turned their attention to Owen.

"And you?" Duncan asked.

"NO EATING FOR _MONTHS_!!!" he shouted, and Izzy fell off his back with laughter as some of the contestants stared at him or face palmed themselves. Gwen then looked at Noah, who was staring at Owen with a disapproving look, and a thought struck her.

"Hey, I didn't see YOU at dinner, either!" said Gwen, and everyone turned their attention to Noah. Lindsay and Beth gasped.

"We didn't see Norah either!!" said Lindsay, and Noah frowned at the name, thinking that would be the name should their mother have another female child.

Everyone stared at him suspiciously, and while Noah wanted to defend himself, he looked at Trent, who stared at him with surprise. While they had a fight recently, he couldn't help but take one look at Trent's face and feel maybe he was wrong. Then he looked at 'He-Who-He-Refuses-To-Name' and saw a look of surprise in his eyes too.

It hurt to look into their eyes. It was agonizing. He trusted them both. He liked them both. Trent was his friend, and him… He loved… He struggled to think his name due to how angry he was...

…Cody…

He didn't have to forgive Cody, because he didn't deserve it, but when he thought rationally, he knew why Trent defended Cody earlier. Cody gave up his chances for a girl he liked to help Trent out… Of course. That sealed his friendship with Cody, and he must've felt he owed it to the guy. Noah couldn't complain about that.

Cody and Trent were friends. Trent and Noah were friends, too. Cody and Noah didn't have to be anything. However, according to the situation from earlier, Trent and Noah were still on shaky grounds with each other. He sighed. Well, as much as he didn't want the crap from everyone for it, he decided he might as well be nice and take the blame off Trent's shoulders. He wanted his friend back. Despite how long it'd take. He needed ONE person who he knew would be perfectly honest with him after all…

"… It was me…" Noah said, and some people gasped. He closed his eyes without any sign of emotion. "I was angry… Trent didn't do anything"

He hated looking at Cody right now. Cody must've been so ashamed of him, but why did it matter so much!? Cody lied to him!! Cody didn't love him! No wonder why Cody never told Noah face-to-face. He didn't love him or even like him! How is it that he still cared about what Cody thought…? Why should he? Cody hurt him… He tried to hide the coming tears, and it was hard work, but he pretended to wipe his nose as he wiped his eye quickly.

However, the tear hadn't been unnoticed by Trent, who was upset with Noah at first. The minute he heard Noah confess that he had ruined everyone's rooms had caused it to fade. The tear caused him to question. Everyone glared at Noah angrily. Everyone except for Trent, Cody, Harold, Ezekiel, Eva, and Izzy, who stared in shock instead.

There was one more person who stared at Noah in shock, though… And with the sight of the small tear he wiped away and knowing what had been going on recently, she couldn't take it and finally spoke up.

"Alright, alright!! Ugh, this is so stupid…" spoke Heather. Everyone looked at her questionably. "It wasn't Noah who messed up the rooms! It was me!"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Heather**: "Yeah, that's right! I confessed! I've been sneaking around other's doors and trying to find ways into their rooms! So sue me!"

* * *

Everyone's faces just dropped from shock.

"What?" asked LeShawna. "While I'd usually believe that story, we SAW you at dinner!"

"I went back into the building just before dinner started and came back later" she said, irritably and crossing her arms. "I was looking for something important"

At this, everyone stared at her suspiciously, except for Noah, who'd been confused. Why was Heather confessing her crime? She's NEVER done that before!! At least, not until the punishment was done already!

"What…?" started Gwen with disbelief. "What could you have been looking for that required you to ransack ALL of our ROOMS except their's!?"

However, Heather didn't want to answer. It didn't matter, though, because Justin did for her.

"This" he said, pulling a small picture out from his pocket, her face filling up with horror. "Found it the day of the welcome back party (Chapter 2)"

He gave it back to her, and she snatched it back before anyone could look at it. Everyone looked at him with curiosity. He crossed his arms.

"A picture of her… younger days…" he said, looking as though guilty that he hadn't given it back to her sooner. Harold was still confused about something.

"Wait a minute, if you were looking for whatever that is, why'd you skip their room?" he asked, pointing to Noah and Trent, and she frowned.

"I wasn't gonna have enough time to put the rooms back together, and needed to blame someone. Trent's nap was the perfect timing for it, so I left it alone so you'd blame him instead" she said, crossing her arms and facing away from everyone.

"But Noah was about to take the blame…" Cody said with an upset look, before glancing at Noah, who looked at him emotionally. He looked at the ground, feeling guilty himself for what he'd done to Noah the night before… Heather rolled her eyes.

"I just pitied the loser. After all, this whole experience has been harsh and all about him since we've gotten here!" she said. "Even that little incident last night at the pool-"

She stopped herself as she looked at Noah, who's face became angered as he thought of it. However, everyone else's faces were filled with confusion. Cody, however, had looked at the ground in shame, while Owen smirked.

"Ooohh, I know what she's talking about" he said coolly. Everyone looked at him either skeptically or with surprise.

"You _do_?" asked Noah and Cody together, Noah glaring at Cody.

"Yeah, you two got it ~_on_~ last night in the pool, didn't you?" he said, smirking and nudging Cody.

Everyone's faces instantly filled with horror or disgust at Owen's accusation and they all looked at Noah or Cody, whose faces were redder than that of cherries. Noah rubbed his temples in order to keep himself calm and avoid killing either Cody or Owen while Cody covered his face in his hands. Even when they're not even friends anymore Cody still had his ways of humiliating Noah…!

"NO YOU FOOL!!" shouted Heather, kicking him. "Don't you people know ANYTHING around here!?"

The confused or blank stares that they each gave her answered her question and she rolled her eyes in irritation. She sighed, before continuing.

"Know-it-all here finally confessed his feelings to Tech-geek" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but at this, Katie, Sadie, Lindsay, and Beth had all squealed in delight, nearly breaking everyone's eardrums.

"You DID!?" Katie asked, as the girls all crowded around Noah, asking him questions while he only turned redder, though Cody couldn't tell if it were out of embarrassment or rage. However, Heather wasn't finished.

"Ex-CUSE me!! I'm TALKING here!!" she screamed, causing the girls to flinch. "He confessed, but SOMEONE decided to be stupid!"

Trent immediately caught her gaze hitting Cody, and he, Gwen, and LeShawna looked at him. Cody had turned red in embarrassment and wished everyone would stop staring at him (And for Noah to stop glaring at him).

"Cody? What'd you do?!" asked Trent, hoping that this time, Cody would actually answer him. Cody looked away, knowing Noah wouldn't believe or like what really happened. However, Heather didn't seem to mind telling everyone one bit.

"After know-it-all's stupid argument with Justin, he thought Noah had a crush for Justin" she stated as-matter-of-factly. This caused Trent and Gwen's faces to falter as they looked at him. Justin frowned, not wanting to be part of this argument. "So he decided to get a confidence and 'get your crush jealous' lesson from the criminal and the wannabe jock over there"

She pointed to Duncan and Tyler, who glared at her for the names she gave them, ignoring the glares that Gwen, Trent, and LeShawna gave them and Cody. Heather continued.

"So then they met by the juice bar and he started acting like a jerk, acting as though THAT was who he really was to impress him" she said, coughing and pretending to gag. "What-EVER, you'll NEVER be anything near cool no matter how much of a beast you act!"

Noah listened to Heather's story, and stared at Cody the entire time, not able to comprehend at first, despite how simple the explanation had been… He couldn't believe it. Cody was always the Cody he fell in love with, just trying to impress him… He didn't know whether to be angrier or… flattered…

"Cody…" started Trent, approaching the boy, but Cody wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Alright, alright, that's enough, eh"

At the sudden outburst, everyone jumped and looked at Ezekiel, who spoke. He grabbed Noah and Cody and pulled them aside, shooing everyone away.

"These two need to talk and I'm sure you all know that! Let's go, eh! Outta here! Downstairs and back to dinner!" said Ezekiel, watching to make sure everyone left. They'd all been too confused to argue.

While Gwen and Trent wanted to stay, Cody nodded, telling them that Ezekiel was right. However, Trent took one last look at Noah before his turn came to take the elevator downstairs. Noah's expression was hazy, and unreadable. Praying for a happy ending, the rest of them steeped in and looked nervously at Ezekiel, hoping he can somehow find a way to fix this mess.

Noah didn't move. Cody kept taking awkward glances at him, trying to meet his eyes, but the other wouldn't budge. Ezekiel turned to the two of them and sighed, holding Noah on the shoulders and making him look at him.

"Noah, dude, I'm your friend, eh… So as your friend, I'm gonna ask you to wait in your room for a bit. And don't lock the door to avoid this cuz Trent's got a key, eh" he said, and Noah looked at Cody briefly before walking into his and Trent's room without saying anything. Ezekiel turned to Cody.

"… What? More advice…? I'm tired already, Ezekiel…" said Cody, looking at the floor in embarrassment. Ezekiel didn't tear his gaze away from him. Just because Cody asked him to doesn't mean he'd oblige. Noah was his friend, and while Ezekiel wanted to punch Cody in the face, he held it back in order to calmly talk to him.

"Look, I'm the only guy you haven't taken advice from, and frankly you should've came to me first, eh" he snapped, startling Cody, as Cody had never heard Ezekiel speak so harshly. "If you love Noah, you should've told him from the beginning. Granted, not exactly shove it in his face, but every way you went at it was wrong, eh"

Cody was shocked, hearing this from someone who had been sexist before and had gotten nearly all the girl contestants who were residing with them at the Playa now to hate him. Ezekiel continued.

"Look, Noah was my first ever friend, eh. We're both intelligent, and we both stayed here the longest with Eva when you were on that island competing. The last thing I want to see is what I just saw tonight. If you love him as much as I believe you do, then tell him,eh. Right here, right now"

Ezekiel took a breath, and Cody was speechless as his tone became softer.

"I know Noah, eh… And the one thing he needs is honesty, Cody… You were his friend before, so you should know just as much as I do why he needs it…"

As he said that, Noah's words from last night echoed in his head.

_I was humiliated on TV before, and I've been humiliated now, but at the very least I thought it wouldn't matter cuz I thought you loved me and I loved you…_

A tear ran down Cody's cheek. He was so ashamed with himself… He had been so busy trying to get Noah's attention, he didn't think about what Noah wanted or needed. He was a boy who's love became obsession in the time that they'd been apart, and it hurt that he'd done such a thing to Noah… He was so busy asking for help on what he should do, he didn't think of Noah at all…

He'd embarrassed Noah in front of the world. What Noah needed was for someone to be there when no one else would be. Someone who'd understand his trials and tribulations… What Noah wanted was honesty, and commitment…

… He was so stupid…

"Be yourself, eh"

At that, Cody looked at Ezekiel again.

"That's my advice, eh. Be the man Noah fell for. I know he's in love with you- the REAL you- and that's the only reason I'm allowing you to do this even with all you've done that's hurt him…"

Cody's heart sank at that.

"… Not because I think you're right for him, but because _he_ thinks you are. Because he _knows_ you are…" he finished. "Don't disappoint me, eh"

With that, Ezekiel walked into the elevator, and as they closed, he gave Cody a smile of encouragement. Cody stood there for a couple of minutes, getting himself together, before looking at the door to Noah and Trent's room, walking in…

And the clock rang midnight.

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

**Heather**: "You know, telling on those two gave me all the attention in the world! Everyone was asking me questions after we all came downstairs! It's about time, too! I feel like I've gotten any screen time in this show!"

**LeShawna**: "I gotta say I was surprised with the outcome of this! HEATHER and JUSTIN being NICE!?"

**Gwen**: "Heather actually did something… good…? I may have lost my mind"

**Courtney**: "I'm glad we're allowed to go home the morning after tomorrow. This drama is starting to drive me mad"

**Harold**: "I wonder what's happening up there…"

**Bridgette**: "I hope Ezekiel can fix all this…"

* * *

"And THAT'S the end of today's episode, everyone! Sorry, it's midnight and the official end of Day 6!! All questions are pretty much answered!… Well, not one- Will NOAH and CODY actually get TOGETHER!? Who knows, my friends! Who knows…? Find out tomorrow, on Valentine's Day- the FINAL CHAPTER-!!

…Of VALEN-…-TINE… COUNTDOWN!!!"

...TBC...


	8. When Cody Does His Own Thing

Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama Island.

* * *

"… Welcome back to Valentine Countdown!"

Chris said cheerfully as he sat in the lobby of Playa Des Losers. Chef sat right next to him as they waited next to the elevator secretly. He began to whisper into the camera.

"Last time, there were some MAJOR confessions going on as the relationship between Noah and Cody has hit its peak. Both of them were in a rut due to a previous argument and mess up on Cody's part. And BOY did HE GET IT! And not just him, Noah ignored EVERYONE at the Playa that day! Someone's got some major issues, man… However, nothing shocked the cast and staff (Let ME tell YOU) than Heather confessing that she ruined everyone's rooms to defend Noah! HEATHER! DEFENDING SOMEONE! Almost UNHEARD of! Even more shocking was Ezekiel taking charge of the situation, and finally being the last man to give Cody advice on Noah"

Chris sniggered at this as Chef couldn't contain his laughter.

"That maggot's toast" he simply said. Chris shook his head.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Chef! There may be a slight turn around! But who am I to know? Who are YOU to know? Well, it doesn't matter anywho because we are ALL about to find out right now…! On the FINAL DAY…!

… Of VALEN-… -TINE… COUNTDOWN!"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Beth: "I really hope those two are okay… And right before Valentine's Day too… Wait, what time is it again?"

**Duncan**: "Truthfully, those two are the biggest nerds in the world, so I don't care about them"

**Gwen**: "Ugh, Cody getting me together with Trent is REALLY not worth the stress"

* * *

"… Noah?" Cody spoke, walking into the silent room of two beds, a bathroom, and a balcony. A small bookshelf was in between the two beds with Bibles and an elegant lamp was placed on top of it. Two closets were next to him in the little hallway he went through to get a look at the room. Everything was neat and organized, just how Cody thought Noah's room would be.

He was given no response.

"Noah…" Cody spoke again, finding the boy sitting lying on his bed, facing the other way.

Noah, on the other hand, was completely blank. After everything that's happened, it really wouldn't have shocked him if a bolt of lightning came and ended it all for him already. Cody was here right now, but even he didn't matter. It was all too much to handle. He couldn't take anymore.

"Noah, please…" Cody tried, too awkward to do anything more. The last thing he wanted to do was set Noah off again and be thrown out the balcony. "Talk to me…"

"… And say what…?" Noah replied lifelessly.

The sound of a broken and confused soul killed Cody on the inside. How could he take this? The one he fell for had been hurt because he decided to be stupid, and listen to what other people told him to do. Granted, most of it worked, and others may hve not. How could he try to talk to Noah when Noah wasn't the same boy he loved anymore… But rather a lifeless body with nothing but confusion?

"… Noah…" Cody started. "Do you… love me?"

Noah sighed at that, sitting up slowly as though there were a ton of weights placed in every ounce of his body. It was hard moving. It was hard breathing. Normally his head was straight on in every situation. But this dilemma was just too strange. It was a back and forth feeling all week and Noah didn't want to be pulled around anymore.

"… Noah?" Cody tried again. Noah looked at him.

"Cody…" he started, but trailed off.

Cody waited for an answer from him. However, Noah took an awfully long and awkward time saying anything else. Cody was about to say something else again until Noah spoke.

"… I don't know…"

Cody's mind froze.

"It's… not looking too good for you, honey…"

There he went with the 'honey' thing he always did. Cody never minded it, but he usually did that to people were doing things he didn't care about or when he was frustrated. He hoped it was him not caring rather than being frustrated. Noah was really scary when frustrated…

Cody stared at him for the longest time before forcing something out.

"… What…?"

Noah looked at him again.

"What do you mean 'what'?" he snapped. Cody flinched at the harshness of his voice.

"Did I do something? Well, yeah, I've been doing a lot lately… But still-" Cody started, but Noah stood from his bed.

"No no no. There IS no 'but still'. There's what you did, and what was wrong about it" Noah practically scolded him.

"Noah…" Cody started again.

"Dang it, Cody" Noah growled, turning away from him. "This week has been one of the worst weeks in my entire life!"

The anger and bitterness in his voice made Cody flinch again. Noah was really upset…

"I have been running a marathon in my head this whole week because I didn't know what it was you were making me feel" he grunted, grasping his head to try and soothe the ever growing headache that was eating at him. Cody's head popped up.

"I… You felt something for me…?" he asked.

"Yep. It was either annoyance or murderous intent" Noah replied bluntly.

At this, Cody's face fell and he backed away a couple of steps from him. Noah was REALLY scary when frustrated… Hurtful, too… It's not like the week hadn't been hard from him, too. Noah yelling at him wasn't making it any easier… Despite the trouble he'd been causing him, Noah didn't have to be so cruel.

"That's a little… much…" Cody said, but Noah shook his head, holding it in his hands as he sighed.

"… Cody… How can I love someone… when I don't know how they feel about me?" Noah asked. "When they are so busy hiding from me and trying to tell me from a distance that I keep getting the message muffled?"

Cody could only stare at him.

"… What… do you mean…?" he asked.

"I'm talking about how you never really told me how you felt abut me!" Noah snapped, furiously keeping from looking at Cody. "You've been chasing me all over this place during the past week and I had to not only figure out why, but what to DO about it!"

"You want to know why I did all of that, Noah?" Cody asked, and Noah turned a little. "Do you?"

"Are you gonna tell me?" Noah snapped back, but Cody stood his ground.

"I did all of that… because…" Cody started, but for some reason, stopped. "… Because…"

Why was this so difficult for him? He knew how Noah felt about him now, and he knew how he himself felt about Noah. What was stopping him from telling him what he felt…? Why was he hesitating when he had the perfect chance to tell Noah how much he cared about him…? Noah was staring at Cody for the longest time, before Cody actually tried to say something again.

"… I… Um…" Cody started, scratching the back of his neck.

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Well…? You what?" Noah asked, urging him on.

Though Noah hadn't been exactly sure that Cody was going to say what he thought he was going to say, he was a little excited. He hid it very well, but he couldn't deny that he wasn't anxious to know what Cody was going to tell him. He just wanted to be sure. He wanted Cody to tell him. He wanted to hear it from Cody's lips. Not a letter, not a song. Just from him.

He just needed to hear those three words…

"… I… can't…" Cody sighed, a guilty look on his face.

Noah stared at him for the longest time. However, he knew what he needed to. Cody must really not have loved him at all, if he couldn't even tell it to his face… He turned away, and Cody looked at him with wide and confused eyes.

"… Then… There's nothing else to say…" Noah said, not wanting to hear anymore tonight.

"Noah… Please…" Cody begged, starting to panic.

He can't be wrong this time. He can't do anything wrong this time, or he'd lose Noah forever. He couldn't imagine the painful life he'd have to lead without Noah… He reached out for the boy, but Noah wouldn't have it.

"Isn't it bad enough that you've ruined my life?" Noah snapped, not turning around to look at him.

Cody jumped back, retreating his hand away from the darker boy. Noah didn't move. He was stiff as a board, but Cody could see tiny movements of shaking. Noah's arms were crossed, but Cody could see his nails digging into his own arms…

"Just... Go away… _Please_…" Noah pleaded, holding back sobs.

Cody stared at his back for a couple of minutes, before turning away from him and heading for the door. Noah still shook furiously, trying very hard not to. However, the tears in his eyes weren't letting him keep his composure, and unintentionally, he let out a small sob as Cody opened the door, which he took notice of. Cody looked back once more at Noah, whose tears were now streaming down his face, which was scrunched up as he struggled to calm himself down… Cody had to fight back his own tears, however, as he slowly walked out of the room, feeling lower than he ever felt before in his life…

He and Noah would be together by now… I he had he never been so shy about his feelings…

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Gwen: "… I don't believe it…"

**Duncan**: "The idiot chickened out!"

**Heather**: "I did NOT get myself in trouble JUST so he could mess up!"

**Cody**: "… What… is wrong with me…?"

* * *

Noah stood in the same spot since Cody left for the longest time, not sure what he was supposed to do; what he was supposed to feel… He'd spent this entire week coming to terms with what he felt, only to have it mean nothing. Cody couldn't say what Noah thought was the truth. Cody couldn't tell Noah that he loved him…

… The way that Noah loved Cody…

Eventually, he became so tired that he couldn't stand anymore, and sat on his bed. His eyes were red from tears, and his body was numb. Heavier than it had ever been before. Was this heartbreak? It hurt a lot more than what Noah read about in novels. That's right. Noah read romance novels. Eventually the library ran out of good literature and he was forced to settle with what was left.

… But of course, most of those novels were written in a girl's point of view…

And now, Noah understood the pain. He always thought those books were written by idiotic females who had nothing else to think about in life but men and love and… all this romantic _rubbish_. Fairytales? Happy endings? It was all such a lie.

Why was God so cruel to him, forcing him to fall for someone… Only to let his heart break…?

He put his face in his hands, unable to cry anymore. The headache and heavy feeling in his bones however were unavoidable. It was hard to deal with this anymore. It was so much easier when he hated Cody. When he wished that the boy wouldn't stalk him. When the boy had not even known his existence. It's all the fault of that stupid Awake-a-thon…

Trent came into the room a little later, looking at Noah with a saddened look. He would have said something, but decided against it. Too much has happened today, and he could tell when Cody came down and avoided everyone's questions. As he tucked himself into bed, he took one last glance at the stone figure that was Noah…

"… Goodnight, Noah…" he said, lying his head back against his pillow…

…Immediately regreting so as he heard the soft sobs of Noah desperately trying to stay composed…

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Beth: "Trent's room light was on all night… Did either of them get any sleep…?"

**Gwen**: "I was so sure that they'd be together after their talk…"

**Ezekiel**: "… I guess… It just wasn't meant to be…"

* * *

Everyone was having a nice morning! Valentine's Day was the day that everyone gave gifts to the people they cared about the most! Even friends were giving each other gifts as Katie and Sadie made sure to give each other a card. Harold made a poem for LeShawna, for which everyone seemed to have seen a small sparkle in her eyes (To which some thought they imagined).

Katie and DJ were sitting by the bar, having a small drink as they chatted about themselves. Sadie decided to look around for someone to talk to, knowing Katie needed her privacy with DJ, and found Beth and Lindsay chatting about the boys. Trent made a small song for Gwen, playing it on his guitar as the girl looked at him as though wanting to swoon.

Bridgette and Geoff were making out, as usual. Ezekiel was hiding from Eva, who was on a rampage for some unknown reason. Izzy and Owen were eating by the special Valentine's Day buffet, to which she was eagerly impressed by how much he could take was playing Volleyball with Duncan, the both of them trying to impress their girlfriends. However, Courtney was busy trying to ignore and avoid looking at him.

Noah and Cody, however… were in opposite sides of the Playa, trying to avoid each other at all costs. Cody felt horrible. Why wasn't he able tell Noah the truth? Why couldn't he tell Noah that he really cared about him? That he loved him? What was stopping him?

"Cody…?"

At the voice, he looked up, seeing Ezekiel standing over him, to which he replied with silence. Ezekiel stared at him for the longest time before taking a seat next to the thin tech geek. Cody didn't protest. In fact, Cody did barely anything.

"… What happened, eh…?" he asked softly. Cody shook his head with a defeated expression.

"… I couldn't… do it…" he answered, to which Ezekiel replied with a raised eyebrow. "I… couldn't tell him that I…"

Ezekiel shook his head.

"Cody… Have you ever told someone you loved them before?"

Cody looked at him, a confused expression plastered on his face.

"It ain't easy, let me tell you, eh…" Ezekiel said. "Especially when you've never done it before…"

"Since… when did you become an expert on girls? I thought you were sexist" Cody said.

Ezekiel sighed.

"… Summer… July 14th, 2004…" Ezekiel said, staring off into the distance. Cody narrowed his eyes at the sudden change of topic, but didn't say anything. Ezekiel continued.

"It was the first time I'd met anything like her, eh… She was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever laid my eyes upon… Four long legs, a long nose, and a tail that swung back and forth like no other…"

Cody scrunched up his face. Were he and Ezekiel talking about the same thing?

"She sure was a beauty, eh… Rode faster than any horse I ever rode on… Couldn't tell her how much I loved her, though…"

Cody sighed, giving up on trying to understand what Ezekiel was talking about.

"So…" Cody started. "What'd… you do…?"

"… I didn't tell her… before that very winter came…" Ezekiel said, pulling his toque off, shocking Cody. "…She got sick… And I couldn't save her in time…"

"Umm… Zeke…? What's a horse-"

"Her name's Linda, eh!" Ezekiel snapped. Cody raised an eyebrow.

"…Okaaaay… What's Linda got to do with Noah…?" Cody asked. Ezekiel looked at him.

"Look, Cody. I couldn't tell Linda how I felt about her… Because I was scared…" he said.

"Scared?"

"Yup" Ezekiel answered. "Scared that all the love and care I gave her would be in vain… That maybe she wouldn't feel the same, eh… That maybe, everything I did meant nothing to her and that she would only push me away…"

"… Is that why I couldn't tell Noah…?" Cody asked to no one in particular. "Was I… scared…?"

"Well" started Ezekiel, standing up. "I'm just gonna say that if you weren't scared…"

He looked at Cody straight in the eye.

"… Why couldn't you tell Noah from the beginning, eh?"

With that, he walked off, leaving Cody to himself to think of what he just said. Truthfully, Cody never had to come face-to-face with Noah since Noah always tried to get away from him. Cody never had to be the one to admit his feelings. He had actually never had a girlfriend or boyfriend before. He never knew what to do. All he knew was how to hit on people… No one ever really returned the feelings…

But Noah was different to him. He wasn't just some hot chick Cody wanted to show off to other guys and become popular (It would do the exact opposite actually). Noah was special to Cody. If anything, Cody just wanted Noah to notice him, to see him, to _recognize_ him amongst others. Cody wanted Noah to care about him just as much as he did for Noah…

… Cody _was_ in love with Noah… a lot…

… But he couldn't tell him that… And now Noah must be feeling worse than he ever has before…

"… I have to fix things… _My_ way…"

* * *

**CONFESSION CAM**

Lindsay: "Oh my gosh, we FINALLY get to see what Chris' surprise for us is!"

**Geoff**: "Dudes! We're getting a wicked party tonight! What a way to go down on a Valentine's Day, man! WOO-HOO!"

**Harold**: "I wonder what's gonna happen with Noah and Cody…?"

**Justin**: "I know this has nothing to do with what happened but… I've been beautiful since birth!... How did Heather turn the way she did after looking like… the way she did in elementary?... Interesting…"

* * *

The stars sparkled that night. Though not many could tell because of the heart-shaped lights that hung around the Playa. There were small Valentine's Day snacks on the buffet table, such as candy hearts, heart-shaped cookies, and even cakes in all shapes and sizes with hearts on them. The cuteness was almost too much for some people. The pink was starting to get on certain people's nerves, but all in all, everyone seemed to have been having a good time. Almost everyone was dancing with each other or chatting…

…All except Noah…  
He really didn't want to be talking to anyone right now. This week was an absolute waste to him. All it did was stress him out over nothing and cause him some major humiliation once he got home to the AH Tribe. Listening to the sappy love songs and seeing all the happiness and fun was starting to make him sick. He wished he could've gone home the minute this whole thing was planned.

And worst of all…

He ended up falling in love… With Cody… Who apparently must not have loved him at all if he couldn't tell him that he did. Cody made all those attempts, which confused and annoyed Noah on several occasions. And now here he was, moping over someone who he didn't mean anything to. He was just some trend. A fling. Not that he understood why… But that's how he felt…

However, in the midst of the party, the lights all dimmed down, allowing a spotlight to his the stage as Chris walked up to the mike that was placed on it. Clearing his throat, he started to speak.

"Hope everyone's having a good time!" he started. "Well… Actually I don't care, but it looks that way anyway!"

At this, everyone rolled their eyes and continued to listen. They were rather looking forward to when the music started up again, but they knew that interrupting would make Chris to take longer in saying his announcement. Therefore, no one said anything.

"I'd just like to say that I'm sure you all are glad to know that you are going home tomorrow-"

With that, a huge roar of applause filled the area as everyone cheered.

"- and to let you know that we got A LOT of ratings off this little reunion!"

Everyone suddenly started booing at this.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Chris shouted, causing everyone to quiet down. "Point is, because we had such high ratings, a personal appearance of a VERY popular country singer has decided to make a FREE performance for us!"

Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out who it could have been that was appearing here right in front of them tonight. However, they didn't have to wait long to figure out because Chris continued.

"Everyone… Please give a BIG. WARM. WELCOME…" he started.

As he was saying this, a thin silhouette rose behind him. It was a female, they could all tell that, but who it was was being blocked off by the terrible lighting. Chris looked at her and nodded, turning back to the audience and grinning widely.

"… To _TAYLOR SWIFT_!"

At this, the spotlight hit the country singer in question and everyone applauded loudly, some going absolutely crazy that someone as famous as Taylor Swift was appearing on a show like Total Drama Island for FREE! However, they all saw her, and she walked to the mike stand that Chris had once been before moving out of the way to let her through.

"Hello, everyone" she said kindly, earning a loud applause from the 22 teens. "It's nice to see everyone. Having a good Valentine's Day?"

This questions was met with another huge applause. Along with an 'I LOVE YOU, TAYLOR SWIFT!' from Owen, which both Izzy and Taylor laughed at.

"Thank you, and that's great because… To end off this wonderful, and tiring week for you guys, I'm gonna end it off with a soft song that I feel matches the occasion… If you got a partner, I suggest you bring them out to the dance floor, because this will be a moment for you guys that you'll _never_ forget… And I promise you that…"

With that, she began to pick the strings at her guitar, leaning into the mike as the song began.

_We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes  
And the flashback starts  
I'm standing there…  
On the balcony in summer air…_

It was around here that couples began to get close to each other. Geoff brought Bridgette slowly to him, holding her close as they moved slowly with the music. Bridgette's face relaxed lovingly into his shoulder as he led her to a dance of pure peaceful bliss.

Gwen and Trent walked over to the dance floor to join them, as he left his guitar by the stage and wrapped his arms around her waist, as her's went around his neck. They stared into each other's eyes as they danced, forgetting all they had to do for Cody that week. Nothing mattered to them anymore… They were with each other…

Ezekiel wasn't really doing anything special, but seeing as he only had two friends during this show who was a NON-taken girls, he decided to give it a go. He offered Beth his hand, which she looked at him strangely.

"Just as friends, eh?" he asked, and figuring that she might as well have fun, she nodded. Standing up, she followed Ezekiel to the dance floor.

_See the lights  
See the party, the ball gowns  
I see you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello… Little did I know…_

By now, Courtney and Duncan were on the dance floor as well. Duncan actually being a little romantic and sweeping Courtney off her feet to carry her there… Though she'd normally deny such behaviour, it WAS Valentine's Day after all…

Justin looked around, seeing Sadie and Eva look hopeful . However, he looked past the both of them to see Heather sitting by herself. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see the tiniest hint of… envy in her eyes…? Smirking, he walked over to her, holding his hand out. She raised an eyebrow.

"What? Feeling sorry for me because of my horrible elementary school days…?" she snapped, turning away.

"Truthfully…" he started. "It only means that… you grew more beautiful everyday…"

She turned around to look at him again, her eyes wide and confused. She wasn't exactl sure of what she'd just heard, but she must've heard right because Justin grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her feet and close to him.

"… Dance with me?" he asked gently.

Speechless (as many others were), she merely nodded, as Justin led her to the dance floor, taking her hand slowly and leaning close to her.

Not too far away from her, Lindsay and Tyler were dancing together. Though Heather treated her horridly during Total Drama Island, one look at the two of them and Lindsay gave Heather a thumbs up, winking at her. Heather was a little taken aback by this action, but smiled sincerely. She'd never felt so… happy before… and it was a good feeling…

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go, and I said… _

As the music began picking up the pace, everyone was beginning to get into the spirit. Katid and DJ smiled sweetly to each other before walking together to the dance floor. Sadie waved supportively to Katie as DJ held her close. Not wanting to hurt his ears, they both did a silent squeal in their heads, as you could tell by their facial expressions.

Izzy practically jumped on Owen, who carried her over to the dance floor to dance. For once in her life, Izzy actually danced to a slow song like a normal person. Just leaning to the guy she cared about, and sighing in satisfaction as Owen moved her back and forth…

Harold sat alone, finally giving up. LeShawna didn't seem to get ANY of his attempts at her heart and felt it was a lost cause… That is, until LeShawna came up to him.

"Hey, Sugar… Wanna dance?" she asked, and Harold's eyes nearly blew out of his head.

"… Really…?" he asked with disbelief, a smile forming on his face.

"Yup. You all nerdy and stuff, but anyone who can write poetry like that has GOT to be something amazing! Let's dance!" she said, grabbing Harold and pulling him to the dance floor along with everyone else.

As everyone began etting into couples, Sadie looked around sadly. However, she was really close to the stage, and felt a small tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Taylor Swift smiling gently at her, and gesturing the stage. Sadie at first didn't understand what she was saying, but Tayler laughed and held out her hand, to which Sadie's jaw dropped. Taylor nodded, as Sadie grabbed her hand, pulling her next to her on stage, and giving Sadie a mike.

Sadie was now singing with Taylor Swift.

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

As Noah sat on the chair near the dance floor he looked at everyone sadly. He could've been one of those people out there… But with Cody instead… Now that he thought about it, maybe it would have been better if he just told Cody that he loved him and held onto him that night. It was one regret he'd carry forever… So what if Cody didn't tell him he loved him?

… It wasn't worth being here alone… of all the times in the world…

He looked at the ground, wishing to go home. He never wanted anything to do with this show again. It caused him nothing but trouble and he was through with it all. He just wanted it all to stop and leave him alone… But… The one thing he wished most of all…

…Was for Cody to be here with him…

He didn't know where the tech geek was, but he figured that he was probably packing since they were leav ing tomorrow. He sighed, knowing that even if Cody still (if he ever did) loved him, then he would tell him anymore. Noah pushed him away…

… And that was that…

"Noah…?"

His head shot up. He couldn't believe, but here he was. The person he'd just been talking about in his head had just practically appeared before his very eyes and had his hand held in front of him. Noah stared at it for a while, not sure of what was happening.

"… Cody…?"

Cody was silent for a while, still holding his hand out towards Noah. However, the ice block in his throat melted as he took one big gulp.

"… Will you dance with me…?"

Noah's eyes widened a little, so shocked that he didn't realize his body moving on its own and slowly taking the other boy's hand. Cody gently pulled him up and led him to the dance floor, making extra careful that his gaze never left Noah's.

Eva rolled her eyes at all this sweetness, grabbing the nearest person and dragging them to the dance floor to dance with her. Unfortunately, that person was Chef, who felt as awkward as she did.

"I'm bored" she gruffly said. "And I hate being a loner"

Chef was too scared to say anything, and just nodded in response.

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew  
So close your eyes…  
Escape this town for a little while…_

"Noah…" Cody started, leading Noah into a small movement.

Noah looked back at the tech geek, not sure of what he was doing or what was happening. All that mattered to him now was that Cody was in his arms, and that he was in his… Cody brought him closer to whisper softly to him.

"… I'm sorry…" he said.  
At this, Noah narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

"About this morning… I wanted to tell you everything, but… I just… blanked out…" Cody tried to explain, holding Noah tightly around the waist in case the boy tried to get away.

"Cody-"

"Please let me finish…" Cody interrupted. "I never meant to hurt you… I don't ever want to hurt you, Noah, and I just want you to know that…"

Noah's eyes softened a little, but he looked away, shaking his head in disbelief. Cody lied to him before. Why should he believe him now?

_'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
But you were everything to me  
I was begging you please don't go and I said_

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel  
This love is difficult, but it's real  
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
It's a love story baby just say yes  
Oh oh

Cody watched Noah turn away and shake his head, sighing.

"Noah, please listen to me… I know I've humiliated you… I know I've confused you…" he started. "But I'm done with all of that"

At this, it took Noah a couple of seconds before turning his head to look at Cody again. Cody felt a little more confident now that he got his attention, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. He took a deep breath.

"I… I want to be here for you… I want you to come to me when you need someone… I… I…" Cody started, but began to hesitate.

Noah began to get curious now, and looked at Cody's eyes now. However, Cody could feel the hesitation beginning to grow, and knew he was getting scared again. He had to grow out of it or Noah was as good as gone. He had to suck it up. He had to tell Noah how he felt. Right here. Right now.

"Noah…" he started again…

By now, everyone was still dancing, but now they were all watching the two of them dancing together. Gwen and Trent, Duncan and Courtney, Geoff and Bridgette, heck, even Heather and Justin were watching, curious of the outcome. Cody was beginning to breathe heavy in nervousness. He was beginning to think he couldn't do it…

"… I…"

_I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you is fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said_

"… I…" started Cody.

Everyone was frozen now. Eva and Chef were watching anxiously, Katie and DJ stopped to witness what would most likely be the most wonderful scene in their life, and Ezekiel was practically trying to push Cody into Noah with his eyes. If looks could do that, Cody would practically be on top of Noah by now. Owen had to even hold Izzy's mouth shut to keep her from screaming at Cody to hurry up and get it over with.

_Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think  
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring_

"… Noah…" Cody started again.

However, Noah was done waiting. He looked at the ground disappointed. Everyone's faces were dropped from the shock as Noah turned around to walk away, dejected.

Cody was numb. No… He couldn't let this happen again. He couldn't be scared. He had to tell Noah now or Noah would never take him back. He HAD to do it now. He couldn't let Noah get away. But yet, everything was turning into slow motion for Cody. Noah's retreating back was the only thing that seemed to have been moving tried to reach for him, but his figure seemed to have been moving too far away…

No…

Cody couldn't let this happen.

NO…

He had to stop him.

"Cody!" Trent shouted at him.

With that, Cody finally snapped out of it, and just in time, as Noah was still walking away. He was able to quickly reach him, firmly grabbing his wrist and pulling him back towards him. Noah's expression was that of shock before his eyes nearly bulged out from his eye sockets at what happened next…

_And said, marry me Juliet  
You'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress…_

Cody pulled him into a kiss.

_…It's a love story baby just say… yes_...

He firmly held onto Noah's shoulders, rendering Noah helpless as the warmth of Cody's lips took over him. Feeling Cody's pleading tongue trying to get his mouth open, he quickly obliged, not being able to control himself. He'd been wanting this ever since Harold first helped him realize what he truly felt for Cody…

And that was that he loved him…

Cody was in pure heaven right now. He didn't realize how much hr truly wanted this until it actually happened. Noah's lips were softer than he thought they'd be. They were gentle, and lush. Cody couldn't help but want more… However, they both needed air, and they gently broke apart, panting heavily while staring into each other's eyes…

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

"…I love you, Noah…" Cody panted. Noah was speechless, only nodding slightly in response, as that was all he could think of doing at the current time. Everyone else around clapped loudly as the two of them leaned in for one more soft kiss before the end of the song…

_'Cause we were both young when I first saw you_...

* * *

"Alright, contestants!" started Chris, as he stood on the docks of Playa Des Losers. "I'm sure most of you had a good time! TWO of you in particular!"

At this, everyone cheered for Cody and Noah, who smiled awkwardly and looked away from each other as they blushed. Cody then wrapped his arm around Noah's shoulders as they boarded the speedboat with their suitcases in hand. The two of them became instantly popular once the Valentine's Day dance ended, and surprisingly Noah didn't mind one bit. After all, once you've been humiliated on TV so many times it practically doesn't matter WHAT you do in public anymore!

"Hey Cody!" Trent called, and the two looked over at Trent and Gwen, who sat next to each other on the boat. "I'm glad it worked out"

At this, both Noah and Cody smiled gratefully.

"Couldn't have done it without you, man" Cody said, and Trent laughed.

"I know what you mean" Trent said, holding Gwen closer to him lovingly. He then looked back at them. "Oh, and Noah…"

Noah turned around to look at Trent. He didn't know why, but he was actually a little sad that this was the last time they were seeing each other for a while… and somehow, he knew Trent felt the same way. Though they were only roommates, they grew close to each other really quickly. Almost like… best friends… They both smiled at each other.

"… Take care" Trent said, and Noah returned the smile.

"You, too, Trent" he replied, before Cody led him to their seats.

"Hey, Codester!"

"Noah!"

They both looked to see DJ and Tyler, giving him a thumbs up each. They then looked elsewhere to see Harold sitting next to LeShawna , and Harold grinned happily towards Noah and Cody, glad that they both got what they wanted, just as he himself did. Owen smiled at the both of them, Izzy grinning evilly for some odd reason, and Eva giving Noah a small grin. All of the girls had gushed over the two of them ever since the Valentine's Day dance, and, of course, neither of them were used to being so popular before…

So once the excitement died down, they were left with one final message from Chris before Chef took them home.

"Contestants… Let me just say that it was a pleasure seeing you all again!" he started, though not many of them believed him. "I hope to see you all again soon…"

Not liking the way he said that, everyone's attention immediately turned to him, but he said no more as the boat started, taking everyone away from the Playa for the last time…

Noah turned to look at Cody for a second, before speaking.

"Hey Cody…" he started.

"Hmm?" Cody replied, tired from having to get up so early.

"… I love you, too…" Noah said, and Cody smiled, leaning in to place a small kiss on Noah's lips, before falling asleep next to him. Noah watched Cody sleep for a little, before eventually joining him on their long ride home in peaceful bliss… Neither of them had ever had a better Valentine's Day than this one…

And they both doubted that they ever will.

* * *

"So THERE we have it!" Chris announced, still standing on the dock. "All the answers! All the drama! And all the romances that bloomed from this get together!"

He began to walk back towards the Playa as he spoke, but a new tone came into his voice, and it was the one that he usually had when he had something planned up his sleeve.

"BUT! This is NOT over, my dear contestant friends!" Chris shouted, knowing that the contestants wouldn't hear him. "I WILL invite you all back for more drama! For more ratings! And with MORE contestants!"

He laughed almost evilly.

"Will all the contestants come back next time? Will they all still be together? And what exactly IS this next time that I have planned? Well, you can't know that now! You'll just have to wait for the next show! But to conclude this show completely, I'm Chris MaClean and you've just read THE FINAL CHAPTER…

…**of VALEN-…**

...-TINE…

...COUNTDOWN!


End file.
